Steamed Dumplings
These authentic Chinese Silver Loaves are the ultimate comfort food, featuring a light, airy dough that splits beautifully at the top when steamed. Unlike traditional dumplings, these buns are substantial enough to be a main course yet delicate enough for a sweet treat. You can choose from three classic fillings: a savory roast pork mixture infused with ginger and soy, a fresh shrimp and cabbage blend, or a rich, homemade sweet red bean paste. The dough requires a bit of patience to rise properly, resulting in a texture that is soft, chewy, and incredibly tender. They are perfect for family gatherings, holiday dinners, or a cozy weekend breakfast where everyone can enjoy assembling their own buns. Serve them warm, straight from the steamer, for the best experience.
Description
These authentic Chinese Silver Loaves are the ultimate comfort food, featuring a light, airy dough that splits beautifully at the top when steamed. Unlike traditional dumplings, these buns are substantial enough to be a main course yet delicate enough for a sweet treat. You can choose from three classic fillings: a savory roast pork mixture infused with ginger and soy, a fresh shrimp and cabbage blend, or a rich, homemade sweet red bean paste. The dough requires a bit of patience to rise properly, resulting in a texture that is soft, chewy, and incredibly tender. They are perfect for family gatherings, holiday dinners, or a cozy weekend breakfast where everyone can enjoy assembling their own buns. Serve them warm, straight from the steamer, for the best experience.
Ingredients
- _Chinese Silver Loaves_ (dough for outside of dumpling)
- 1 3/4 cups hot water
- 3 T. sugar
- 2 T. vegetable shortening or oil
- 6 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
- 2 T. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt Add sugar and shortening to hot water, stir til sugar is dissolved, and allow to cool until barely warm.
- 1 T. sugar
- 1 1/2 T. soy sauce
- 1 T. oyster sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 drop red food colouring (optional)
- 1 T. vegetable oil
- 3/4 lb. diced roast pork (recipe: 3 lbs. pork sirloin cut into 2 inch strips,
- marinated in: 2 T. sherry, 2 T. sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 T.
- hoisin sauce, 1/4 tsp. red food colouring; marinate 4-5 hrs in fridge; bake 1 hour at 325, brushing with honey three times; let cool
- 20 min. then dice for dumpling recipe)
- 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
- 1 large or 2 small spring onions, chopped
- 1 T. cornstarch
- 2 T. water
- 1 recipe Silver Loaves Mix together sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken stock, sesame oil, black pepper and red food colouring. Set aside.
- Pat each piece of dough into a 4 inch in diameter circle. Place a teaspoon of pork filling in centre and pleat edges of circle all the way around.
- 1 T. vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 3/4 lb. chinese cabbage, chopped, blanched in boiling water for 1 min, drained and squeezed dry in paper towels
- 1/4 cup cooked baby shrimp, minced
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 T. water Heat the oil in a wok, fry garlic and spring onion til garlic is a light golden colour. Stir in cabbage and shrimp, and cook one more minute. Add sugar, soy sauce, pepper and sesame oil, stir; then add cornstarch mixed with water. Stir again. The mixture should thicken immediately. Fill buns as with above recipe.
- (sweet red bean paste can be bought in the store, and used straight from the
- can for filling, but this is how to make it from scratch)
- 1 1/2 cups red beans, washed well
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 cup sugar Place the beans and water in a saucepan, cover, bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or til beans are very soft.
Directions
- 1 Sift remaining dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, and gradually stir in sugar mixture. Mix well and gradually draw dough together with your hands. It should be soft, but not sticky.
- 2
On a floured board, knead dough about 5-8 minutes, or til smooth and elastic.- 3
Return to bowl, cover with damp cloth and let rise at least 1 hour.- 4
Stir-fry the pork, ginger, and spring onions in the vegetable oil for 2 min.- 5
Pour in the seasoning mixture and stir for another minute. Stir the cornstarch into the water and pour into wok. Continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce is like thick custard. Remove from heat.- 6
Knead the Silver Loaves dough for 3 minutes. Cover and let sit 10 minutes.- 7
Divide into 24 pieces and cover again with the cloth.- 8
Bring edges up over filling, finally pinching the pleats together firmly at the centre top. Set aside for 10 minutes.- 9
Place each bun on a piece of wax (greaseproof) paper, and steam with 1/2 inch of space between them, for 12 minutes. Do not open the steamer while cooking or else the characteristic splitting of the top of the bun will not take place.- 10
Strain the water from the beans, and blend them into a puree in a blender or food processor.- 11
Press the puree through a sieve, discarding the skins, which will be left in the sieve.- 12
Place the puree in several layers of cheesecloth, and gently squeeze to remove excess moisture.- 13
Place the thickened puree back into the saucepan, together with the sugar and vegetable shortening, and heat over low heat, stirring until it becomes a thick paste. Stir and scrape vigourously so that it does not stick to the bottom.- 14
Remove from heat and let cool before filling buns.NoteRoast Pork Filling makes 24 buns
Shrimp and Vegetable Filling
Sweet Red Bean Paste Filling
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