pau dough recipe

My mother-in-law is an incredible cook and this is one of her specialties – pau. During Chinese New Year when we were free, I managed to persuade her to teach me the finer points of pau-making.

Ingredients

• 1kg flour (bluekey brand)
• 2 tsp dried yeast
• 2 cups water (lukewarm)
• pinch of salt
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• Grease-proof paper cut into squares

Method

1. Place flour and yeast in a big bowl.
2. Then dissolve sugar in warm water and add in a pinch of salt.
3. Pour sugary water into the bowl of flour and yeast in batches. Add in oil.
4. Knead the ingredients together until combined.
5. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise for 15 minutes.
6. After the dough has risen, knead it again gently until smooth and elastic. Then divide the dough into small balls.
7. Roll out the balls into thin circles, wrap the pau with a filling of your choice (it works well with both savoury and sweet fillings) and place the pau on a small sheet of grease-proof paper.
8. Place a damp cloth over the pau and let them rise again for another 15 mins or so and they will be ready for steaming.
9. When you’re ready to place the pau into the steamer, wipe the lid and make sure that no water falls on the pau. Steam them for 10 minutes.
10. Place the hot pau on a couple of sheets of newspaper to cool. The newspapers will absorb the excess moisture from the pau.
11. Once they are cool, they are ready to be served!

My MIL prefers to use sengkuang (sweet turnip/chinese turnip) as a filling for the pau, making them taste extra-special. To do this filling just stirfry grated sengkuang (with the juices squeezed out), pork, onion, water chestnuts (finely chopped) and adjust the flavour with soy sauce, black soy sauce, pepper and salt.

This is the end result… steamed pau all waiting to be eaten! *yum*