Red Bean Bun
HISTORY AND CUSTOMS
Bao zi, dates back back to almost 1,800 years ago. To the Three Kingdom period (220-280. Zhuge Liang (181-234) invent a bun made out of flour, pork, beef. The story is Liang was engaged in a military campaign in a mass illness. His response was to make a giant dumplings made out of pork and beef shaping like human head. Wrapping the “head” in wheat dough, steamed it and offered as a sacrifice. Offering it to his men as a curative. Baozi can be eaten anytime. Baozi can be filled with meats, beans and filling. Meat buns are usually filled with pork or beef. Eaten as a snack. While a bun filled with beans or has a sweet filling are usually eaten during dim sum/ morning time.
INGREDIENTS
Warpper |
FIlling |
300g all-purpose flour
1 packet instant yeast = 2¼ teaspoons 160g water or 20g more for adjustment |
8oz dried red beans
Water as needed for boiling (around 3 cups) 2 cups of sugar 2 tablespoon butter or lard (can be replaced by vegetable oil for sure) a tiny pinch of salt |
Directions
WARPPER1. Prepare warm water around 35 °C. And mix the yeast with the water. Mix well and set aside for around 5 minutes. If you do not want sugar, just skip it.
2. Prepare the flour in a large bowl. Pour the water with yeast slowly to the bowl with flour and stir with a chop sticker. 4. Then knead the flour into smooth and soft dough. At the very beginning, it might be a little bit sticky. 5. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for around 1 hour or until the paste ball doubles in size. This process can be done by mixer. 6. When the dough is double in size, get paste ball out and punch the air out. 7. Then roll the dough into a long log around 1 inch in diameter or any size you want. 8. Scatter some flour on your board and cut the log to small sections around 1 inch long. 9. Press the small dough to a round and think wrapper with the palm. Place 1 tablespoon of the sweet red bean paste in the center of your wrapper and seal the wrapper together. 10. Turn the buns over so that the sealed surface is underneath. Brush some oil on the bottom and place in the steamer. Cover with lid and rest for around 10 to 20 minutes until the buns becomes fluffy again. 11. Bring the water in wok to a boiling and then steam the buns for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size. 12. Turn off the fire and leave the steamer for 5 minutes before lifting the cover. Transfer the buns out and serve hot |
FILLING1. Wash the red beans and soak the dried red beans at least 8 hours or overnight. Longer soaking time can shorten the cooking time.
2. Remove the floats on the surface. Add water and soaked red beans in a pot or high-pressure cooker. The water should be higher than the level of soaked red beans around 4~5 minutes. 3. Bring all the things to a boiling and then turn down the fire to simmer for around 1 hour until the red beans becomes soft. For high-pressure cooker, only 40 minutes are needed. 4. If you want to have a smoother taste, filter the skins of red beans with filter screen and press the red beans with a scoop. Then the skins will be separated. Or transfer all the content to a food processor and blend to a smooth consistency. 5.Transfer the paste to a pan. Add salt,sugar and butter in. Use low fire to simmer the exceeded water out. During the process, keep stirring the paste. 6.Wait for the paste to cool down. This paste can be saved in refrigerated for around 2 weeks. |
SOURCES
"Baize." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
"History of Baozi." Grandtaste. Blogger, 29 June 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
"Homemade Red Bean Buns(Dou Sha Bao)." China Sichuan Food. China Sichuan Food, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
Pastry, Joe. "Who Invented Baozi?" Joe Pastry. N.p., 03 May 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
"Sweet Red Bean Paste." China Sichuan Food. China Sichuan Food, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
"History of Baozi." Grandtaste. Blogger, 29 June 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
"Homemade Red Bean Buns(Dou Sha Bao)." China Sichuan Food. China Sichuan Food, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
Pastry, Joe. "Who Invented Baozi?" Joe Pastry. N.p., 03 May 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
"Sweet Red Bean Paste." China Sichuan Food. China Sichuan Food, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.