Smile Pao Revisited

Since this is my first posting of this new year, i would like to post something more cheerful as January can be a cold, dreary bummer  of a month. The only way to shake the desire to hibernate until spring, i had to cook or bake something that puts a smile not only on my face but a smile to everyone who enjoys eating these Smile Pao. 

I have found that the previous recipe makes lovely smiling paos, the dough has to tweaked to get the texture not to stick to the teeth.   I realised that fermentation will turn flour into starch and starch is responsible for stickiness, so this time around, i have omitted the wheat starch and used 5 tablespoons flour instead.  I would have loved to use pao flour but unfortunately i am out of it, so i used bleached all-purpose flour.  The starter dough was left on the counter for more than 24 hours and it still makes good smiling paos,  it was still ok cos my kitchen was pretty cold even with the heater on.

Smile Pau/Bao Improved Final

What a surprise!!!  I have finally managed to get into Blogger after some mind blogging tasks, so early in the morning, brain is still in the sleeping mode.  I am staring at the new format and my brain is trying to get accustomed it.  I tried loading pictures as i have promised to show before steaming and after steaming the paus/baos and i am delighted to find out that i am now able to select several pictures at one time, just like it used to be, a long time ago.  Thank you Blogger, for bringing back this feature.  


Below, i have numbered every pau/bao that i have pleated and took a picture of it before steaming it and then another picture of it after steaming.  I have tried my best to figure out how to get a uniform smile but these paus/baos have a mind of their own, they will smile however they like and with attitude.  Which Smile do you like?  I like the one that split uniformly like a blossom and i have found that if i gather the pleats neatly , it will and might split like blossom.  The ones that i twisted, split like the map of the world, it is not so easy to pleat with this recipe as the dough is so soft.  Need many credit hours and that too might not ensure that it will work despite all the practice.    Well, at least they cracked and the taste is there, accept it lily, they are hand-made and rustic.

Smile Pau/Bao Improved Continuation

 As promised, i am sharing how to finish making the pau/bao.  In my next post i will share pictures of the pleated paus/bao before steaming and after steaming.

Smile Pau/Bao Improved

 I have just finished making another batch of char siew pau/bao and this time with a starter that i have left to ferment for more than 48 hrs - it was give and take 55 hours.  The starter dough did not look any different and did not smell sour or yeasty.  My conclusion is that if the starter is replenished with just enough water to make into a soft dough, the starter dough will not become foamy.  The first batch of Smile Pau was made with less starter dough and using  more dry flour cos the starter dough was more liquid to start with.  So, when adding the dry flour to the starter dough to make the main dough, it has to be adjusted according to the texture of the starter dough.  Although this Smile Pau/Bao gave the best grin, i feel that there is room for improvement, not only the texture, the appearance too.  I have tried my best to share my experience as i have made more than 5 batches of Smile Pau/Bao and they all SMILE, although sometimes not the way i would love the SMILE to be.  It has been quite fasinating to see the result of this Smile Pau/Bao, smiling how ever they like, they have attitute.  Perhaps it is me, i am not expert enough to seal the pau/bao and it will take many more batches of pau/bao making, even that too might not ensure that i will get it right.  But, what i do know is right, is that the WATER for STEAMING has to be ALOT(quantity) and VERY VERY HOT,  to create as much steam as possible.  This is the toughest combat that i have to face, steaming in high altitute. 

I have edited this recipe by replacing the wheat starch with pau flour as i have found that too much starch makes the pau gummy and sticks to the teeth.

Starter Dough for Smile Char Siew Pau/Bao


i had wanted to share this step-by-step procedure from the beginning to end with a finished smiling pau/bao but blogger did not cooperate.  I loaded all the pictures and was about to select them, boom, it took me somewhere and i lost all the pictures loaded.  I am not going to load them again, cos blogger does not allow mutiple loading and i had to load, one at a time.  I hope someone can help me load multiple like how it used to be.  Anyway, so i decided to post this procedure by sections, starting from the starter.  I started the starter on March 7th, 2012 when i made the first batch of smile pau/bao.  I will keep a little or rather what was not needed and added 2 cups of pau flour and enough of water to make into a soft dough.  I have found that i could make the pau/bao smile although the starter did not foam and smell sour. 

Smile Pau/Bao

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it's breaking
When there are clouds, in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile, through your fear and sorrow
Smile, and there'll be tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through
If you'll....


Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear, may be ever so near,
That's the time, you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you'll just....


Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear, may be ever so near,
That's the time, you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you'll just....


Smile

I hope you all enjoyed this video and sang along with the lyrics as the lyrics of yesteryears are so meaningful.  Smile is a very powerful tool, even a pau/bao that smiles will make your day.  It is easier to make me SMILE but not so easy to make the pau/bao smile.  It took me 2 days and many paus/baos after, to be able to make them Smiling.  It is not the recipe, any recipe will work if we are able to recognize the function of each ingredients in the recipe.  I have edited this recipe and omitted the wheat starch and replaced it with pau flour as i have found that too much starch makes the dough tasted gummy and stick to the teeth.  The wheat starch write-up is for your knowledge only.

Velvety Sauce Char Siew Pau/Bao

I have to share this Velvety sauce as this sauce kicked the Char Siew Pau/Bao up a few knotches and moved it to my favorite, will not go back to my older recipe.  The recipe for the sauce makes a fairly large batch and it is worth the while cos it will keep well in the fridge and every time you want to make Char Siew Pau/Bao, half the work is done if you have Char Siew and all you have to do is to make the Pau/Bao dough.  Talking about Pau/Bao Dough, i get all excited when i see a new recipe and what a let- down to the excitement when the result is not up to my expectation.  I still fall back to SuperSoft Pau and if you are lazy and do not want to make the Tangzhong, go ahead and follow Tien Tsin Pau recipe or Pan Fried Pau, they are very good pau doughs which my picky pau eater, Renee approves.

I am posting the Velvety Sauce as the Ingredients and Method for making the Pau/Bao Dough are already posted in the 3 links i have provided above.  You can make
Char Siew following these 2 recipes - Char Siew and Lam Yee Char Siew

Lau Sar Pau

With less exposure of asian food, i am so behind with the 'in' asian food if not for my good friends from the Orient.  They would ask me if i have eaten these or that and thank goodness for the internet, i am able to Google as to what they were asking about.  It might not be first time lucky with google,  like in this case 'Lau Sar Pau'.  You hope that someone might post a recipe but most postings were telling how delicious it was, from this restuarant and that restaurant.  I was the happiest when i found a posting of the name of this pau written in chinese.  With those 3 chinese words, i was able to get a few recipes in chinese and had them translated.  The translations were perplexing and i had many entertaining moments, laughing about the translations.  Finally i asked for help and was explained that the filling of this pau should 'Lau' meaning 'leaking' in cantonese and 'Sar' is 'sand'.  So my conclusion is that the filling should have 'a flowing sandy texture'.  Now the recipes made some sense and i tested a few but the filling does not 'Lau' but kept seeping out of the pau leaving no filling at all, they should be renamed 'Pit Sar Pau'.  Thinking that the high heat in steaming caused the filling to burst and my thought was right, this time the filling was fine when i steamed in low heat.  But, the filling did not 'Lau' as much,  it was a more like a custard and i think that i must have made 'Lai Wong Pau' instead.  I had given up figuring out how the filling should be but it pricked my curiosity again when one of readers asked if i have a "Lau Sar Pau' recipe.  Ok, put on your thinking cap, Lily,  the filling should be flowing like melted candy !!!! - what are the ingredients for candy????  sugar, heavy cream or condensed milk.  Yes, condensed milk must be it cos chinese chefs don't use heavy cream.  And i was right, this time the filling remained 'flowing' even when the pau is cold.

Longevity Peach Buns

Showing respect and esteem for the elderly is a tradition that remains today. Nowadays, when grandparents or parents reach the ages of 70, 80 or 90, their children and grandchildren organize ceremonies for longevity. Such celebrations, either large or small, are occasions to show devotion and respect to grandparents and parents. Celebrations for longevity, manifest the family’s joy in having a relative who has been able to lead a long life.

The Chinese God of Longevity, known as Sau, is a symbol of easy life, smooth living, and victory over the strife that life can sometimes cause. A gourd is attached to the end of his staff which is said to hold the elixir of life or immortality. Sau is usually depicted holding a peach, which is the divine fruit of the gods, allowing them to live forever, therefore making Sau Tou/Peach Buns is a must for longevity celebration. Besides having a banquet of which long and thin noodles are served, everyone will be blessed with presents,


a red envelope/lei si, - Good blessings.


a longetivity rice bowl together with a pair of chopsticks - wishing steady income in the future


and


a pair of wooden CLOGS - wishing a successful career ~~ "po po ko sing" which means to rise to the top, step by step.


Read about the story of the Longevity Peach bun HERE

Super Soft Pau

As the pau episodes continue, new ways to improve and better the texture have been tried, although this recipe is good enough, there is still room for improvement.