MEAT & VEGETABLE PAU (WITH DOUGH STARTER)


From left: Steamed Meat & Vegetable Pau; Pau before proving.
INGREDIENTS:
Makes 18
Dough Starter:
135g cake/superfine flour, sifted
45g pau flour, sifted
1 tsp instant yeast
A pinch of salt
100g water
METHOD:
Prepare dough starter by following steps as described in Steamed Man Tou, OR bring a portion of starter back to room temperature if you have some stored in your freezer.
INGREDIENTS:
Filling:
250g minced meat (pork or chicken)
200g chinese cabbage, shredded
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp rice/Shao Xin wine
2 tsp sesame oil
2 1/2-3 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
Pepper to taste
Main Dough:
200g cake/superfine flour
100g pau flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
50g castor sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
130g water
70g Dough Starter
10g shortening
METHOD:
Prepare filling: In a plate, add salt to shredded chinese cabbage. Leave for 15 minutes. Squeeze to remove excessive water from the cabbage. Mix cabbage with the rest of the ingredients of filling. Marinate for about 1 hour.
Prepare main dough: Sift cake flour, pau flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Combine flours with sugar and water. Beat until a smooth dough is formed.
Add in dough starter and shortening. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth, elastic and close to the stage where a thin membrane can be formed when dough is stretched (Pic. 2 of Basic Sweet Bread Dough).
Divide dough into 30g portions. Roll each portion into ball, covered with a damp cloth and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
Use a rolling pin to roll out a portion of dough such that edges are thinner than the central part. Place some filling in the centre and wrap to form a pau. Repeat for remaining dough. Cover pau with damp cloth and prove for 30 minutes.
Boil water in a steamer. Reduce fire to medium heat. Steam man tou for 10 minutes. Serve while paus are still hot.
NOTE:
The dough starter recipe will give you about 4 portions of starters. Store the rest in air-tight container in freezer. Just bring a portion of starter back to room temperature when you need it for other pau products. Use it for making e.g. Steamed Man Tou, Ying Shi Juan, Hua Juan, Char Siew Pau (Barbecued Pork Pau) etc.
Unlike bread dough, dough for man tou or pau does not have to be kneaded to the thin membrane stage. Knead until gluten is formed in dough.
Unless the dough is too sticky to work with, avoid using too much flour to dust your working surface. This may result in thick and hard pau skin.
Avoid water condensate at steamer's lid from dropping to the man tou. Dry lid with a cloth every time you uncover the steamer.
Don't worry if your pau are not as white as those sold in the restaurant. This is because you do not use 100% bleached pau flour in this recipe. I mixed pau flour with superfine/cake (low protein) flour so that texture of pau would not be too "glutenized/ fibrous''.
If you are not able to finish all the pau at one time, keep them in an air-tight container or plastic bag and freeze. Just reheat them whenever you want to have them. Estimated storage period is 2-3 months.
Made on 08-10-03
Written on 10-10-03
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