peloquin@red6 (Renee P. Peloquin) (06/10/91)
In article <1991Jun05.194823.27025@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> akrao@athena.mit.edu (Arvind K Rao) writes: >I was in ... a Chinese >pastry store which sold... >basically pork in a sweet type of roll Here is a recipe my husband and I concocted from a couple of other recipes. The filling and ingredients for Chinese yeast dough are adapted from "Oriental APPETIZERS & LIGHT MEALS" by Susan Fuller Slack, HPBooks; according to her, the filling is Malaysian style. It originally called for PORK, but we substituted tofu, and found the result to be delicious. I think the filling is almost infinitely variable. The tofu is important for texture, but the vegetables could be decreased or increased, if the spices were varied accordingly. NOTES: I found the filling a little on the salty side, and I think I would leave out some or all of the white salt. I left out the 5-spice powder, not having any, and didn't notice the lack. Don't overfill or overstretch the dough; it will rip. This is a great finger food, and is good cold for lunch, too. Spicy Steamed Buns ------------------ filling made from 1/2 lb. tofu, pressed, and 1/2 c vegetables.(see recipe) 1 loaf's worth of soft bread dough, more than doubled (see recipe) Line steamer tray (this can be a bamboo steamer, or even a folding vegetable steamer) with fresh greens (cabbage, spinach, lettuce, etc.) to prevent sticking. Bring water to a boil. Pull out a roundish lump of dough, and without pressing all the air out of it, push your thumb into it to form a cup. For a lump the size of a small egg, fill with about a teaspoon of filling. Pull the edges together and pinch, sealing securely. Place in steamer, allowing 1/2 inch between dumplings for expansion, more if they are larger. Cover and steam for 5-10 min. (depending on size), or until the dough becomes "bready" and a smooth skin has formed. Remove to a plate or bowl to keep warm. Don't forget the greens in the steamer are still edible. If you change them out with each batch of buns, they won't even be overcooked (much). You need to change them out occaisonally, anyhow, as they tend to shrivel and loose their non-stick ability. Spicy Filling ------------- 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 shallots or onion, scallion, or fresh chives, minced 1/2 c crunchy vegetables, minced fine or cut into tiny matchsticks (bamboo shoots, rutabega, etc.) 1/2 lb tofu, pressed and crumbled (instructions below) 1/2 T finely minced ginger root Oil for sauteing 1/2 t ground cumin 1/2 t salt (optional) \ Measure all 1/4 t cinnamon 1/4 t cayenne pepper } into small bowl 1/8 t allspice 1/8 t black pepper / or plate 1/8 t five-spice powder, if you have it 1 T water, sherry, stock, or other liquid \ Mix until cornstarch 1 T soy sauce } is uniformly suspended 1/2 t cornstarch / and there are no lumps Nuts, seeds, other crunchy things, if desired. Measure the ground spices into a small bowl or plate. Mix the stock, soy sauce, and cornstarch in another small bowl. Stir-fry garlic and onions until soft, 1-2 minutes. Add the crunchy vegetables and stir-fry 1 minute. Add the tofu, stir until it warms. Push out of the way and add ginger, stir frying until it becomes fragrant. Add the spices, then quickly stir the cornstarch mixture until it has no lumps and add to pan. Cook until the liquid thickens and glazes. Remove from heat. You may have to change the timings, adding the vegetables sooner or later depending on how long they need to cook. Soft Bread Dough ---------------- A plain white bread dough recipe, or a loaf of frozen dough, should work fine. Standard 1-loaf recipe Additions for Chinese-style bun ---------------------- --------------------------------- 1 c water 1 t white vinegar 1 packet yeast up to 2 T liquid or solid oil 1 T sugar increase sugar to 1/4 c 1/2 t salt, if desired ~3 c flour Add the yeast to the cup of warm (not over 100F) water, and let sit for 5-15 minutes, until it starts to foam (if it doesn't foam, the yeast is a dud). Add sugar, salt, vinegar and oil (if used). Stir in 2 c flour until well mixed and a very soft, sticky dough is formed. Gradually add more flour until the dough can be handled, then turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead in remaining flour, up to a total of 3 to 3 1/4 c, as needed. Knead dough 10 minutes or until it is very elastic, and has a smooth surface. Can be made in a food processor or mixer with dough hook. Follow product instructions. Place in oiled bowl, oil top or place in a humid place to rise, covered 1 to 1.5 hours. If desired, punch down and let rise additional 1 hour until doubled again; this will improve the bread texture. Pressed Tofu ------------ Tofu can be pressed to make it firmer and remove excess water. If you can't get "extra firm" tofu, or if the tofu has been soaking up water for a month, you might want to do this. I cut the pound tofu block in half horizontally, making two short planks. This is convenient for storing half in water, and for pressing the other half. Take the half pound of tofu, heat in microwave until it is very hot and soft and steamy, about 2.5 min. Place the plank on an upside-down plate in bottom of the sink. Place another plate on top, and weight with a pot of water or other weight, 2-4 lbs, for 20 minutes or so, until the tofu is cool. It will be firmer and chewier, and can be crumbled or cut into dice for later use. Renee P. Mattie mattie@sun0.chem.upenn.edu