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Chinese dumplings with basic yeast dough (Famian)

Chinese dumplings with basic yeast dough (Famian)
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  • Chinese dumplings with basic yeast dough (Famian)

    Post #1 - May 31st, 2010, 10:36 am
    Post #1 - May 31st, 2010, 10:36 am Post #1 - May 31st, 2010, 10:36 am
    I recently purchased Andrea Nguyen's Asian Dumpling Cookbook and decided to try one of the recipes this weekend. I have been really impressed with her other cookbook, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Her recipes are clearly explained and delicious. There is a website which complements the cookbook and has some recipes posted and videos demonstrating technique.

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    The "basic yeast dough" (famian) is used for steamed buns such as char siu bao but I decided to try making the panfried pork and scallion mini buns (sheng jian baozi)

    The dough is very simple to make in the food processor. Ingredients are yeast, water, sugar, baking powder and AP flour. You can use theimported Red Man Hong Kong flour to make the bao whiter, but I wasn't bothered by the idea of having off-white bao so I didn't hunt for it.

    After being processed, the dough has to sit for 45 minutes. Then you divide it into pieces, roll them into balls, press them into discs and roll them into thinner circles.

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    The filling is made of ground pork, ginger, chinese chives or scallions, salt, white pepper, sugar, soy, rice wine and sesame oil.

    The instructions on shaping the bao are very clear in the cookbook (the video on her website is helpful too). But, I think it just takes practice (I guess I'll have to keep making them).

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    These were pan-fried, then steamed (a la potstickers).


    Dumplings (cooked mainly seam side up--some are face-up, some face-down in the picture).

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    Served with Chinkiang vinegar and ginger, soy sauce and chile oil--they were quite good.


    I decided to make some of the dough into unfilled steamed buns and freeze them (for later use with some pork belly or duck). I steamed these about 3/4 of the way so I can steam them the rest of the way when thawed.

    Before cooking:

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    After cooking

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    These recipes were surprisingly easy. I'm looking forward to trying some of the other recipes. I think baked filled buns (ju bao) with curry chicken filling is next.
  • Post #2 - May 31st, 2010, 10:44 am
    Post #2 - May 31st, 2010, 10:44 am Post #2 - May 31st, 2010, 10:44 am
    Hi,

    Those dumplings look terrific. Did you cook them like for pot stickers: begin in hot oil, then add water to steam and once water evaporated to continue frying until browned?

    What was the texture of the steamed unfilled pancakes? Were they similar to those served with Peking Duck at Sun Wah?

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #3 - May 31st, 2010, 10:49 am
    Post #3 - May 31st, 2010, 10:49 am Post #3 - May 31st, 2010, 10:49 am
    Cathy2 wrote:Did you cook them like for pot stickers: begin in hot oil, then add water to steam and once water evaporated to continue frying until browned?


    Exactly. I flipped them at the end to get the tops a little brown as well.

    Cathy2 wrote:What was the texture of the steamed unfilled pancakes? Were they similar to those served with Peking Duck at Sun Wah?


    Very similar, maybe a little denser since I purposely undercooked them a little (anticipating freezing and re-steaming). That's what I had in mind when I made them.
  • Post #4 - May 31st, 2010, 10:53 am
    Post #4 - May 31st, 2010, 10:53 am Post #4 - May 31st, 2010, 10:53 am
    I am a sucker for Asian dumplings. Those look spectacular!

    I keep promising myself I won't buy any more cookbooks. But resistance in this case will be futile. It's on its way.
  • Post #5 - May 31st, 2010, 4:39 pm
    Post #5 - May 31st, 2010, 4:39 pm Post #5 - May 31st, 2010, 4:39 pm
    Those look great, thaiobsessed! I've been meaning to work other dumplings into my food desert project (and to revamp the current one: bean soup in a dumpling didn't really work, but I found a crab filling I can easily adapt) thanks for giving me a nudge.
  • Post #6 - August 22nd, 2010, 9:37 am
    Post #6 - August 22nd, 2010, 9:37 am Post #6 - August 22nd, 2010, 9:37 am
    I made some curry chicken buns (gali ji bao--which seems like it would be pronounced golly, gee bao which is kind of amusing) last weekend.
    I really love Andrea Nguyen's dumpling cookbook. She does such a great job of explaining each step.

    Here are some pics:

    Dough rolled into circles
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    Filling--made with chicken thighs
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    Buns being shaped (my technique is a work in progress)
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    Ready for the oven:
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    Cooling buns
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    I have to say, I loved these. They make a great portable lunch, too. I'm planning to try a variety of fillings (depending on how they turn out, they may show up at the LTH picnic).
  • Post #7 - September 17th, 2010, 1:56 pm
    Post #7 - September 17th, 2010, 1:56 pm Post #7 - September 17th, 2010, 1:56 pm
    Though my recipe isn't from the same book, I thought I'd piggyback for consistency.

    A couple weeks ago I was visiting a friend in Seattle for a gaming con. My friend who lives there promised to teach me how to make Char Siu Bao since I've been harassing him about it forever. (His grandmother, interestingly, was Emily Kwoh, the owner of the Mandarin House, Mandarin East, and Great Shanghai restaurants in NY, one of the earliest places that moo shu pork was adapted for american veggies, etc).

    The recipe basically involved three days for me -- I prepped and marinated the pork one day, cooked it the next, then on a third day made the filling, the dough, and the buns themselves.

    The marinated pork, cooked in a 450 degree oven:
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    The filling:

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    Dough prep was basically the same as above. Besides, my camera was out of batteries. :)a

    The filling of the buns was probably the hardest part for me, though I have a feeling it would get better with practice.

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    Here's the final rise stage, sitting for 30 minutes before they go into a steamer:

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    I'm pretty sure that I will never, ever have a store bought bun again. Even though the process is pretty time and labor intensive (and I didn't have a multi-layer steamer, either, which made it a SERIOUS pain to steam 3x buns at a time for 15 minutes each), I think I'll make this a semi-frequent assembly line process. I did have a little more than double the pork I needed once all was said and done, so I have enough pork for another batch sitting in the freezer (if my husband doesn't it eat it all. It's seriously amazing tasting).

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  • Post #8 - September 18th, 2010, 11:30 am
    Post #8 - September 18th, 2010, 11:30 am Post #8 - September 18th, 2010, 11:30 am
    Gorgeous bao! Beautiful laquer on the char siu...really impressive.
  • Post #9 - February 12th, 2021, 7:22 pm
    Post #9 - February 12th, 2021, 7:22 pm Post #9 - February 12th, 2021, 7:22 pm
    Don't know about anyone else but I found this Youtube video 16 Ways to Wrap a Dumpling fascinating.
    ----} Link
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #10 - February 12th, 2021, 8:30 pm
    Post #10 - February 12th, 2021, 8:30 pm Post #10 - February 12th, 2021, 8:30 pm
    G Wiv wrote:Don't know about anyone else but I found this Youtube video 16 Ways to Wrap a Dumpling fascinating.
    ----} Link

    Gao! :)

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #11 - July 25th, 2021, 10:32 pm
    Post #11 - July 25th, 2021, 10:32 pm Post #11 - July 25th, 2021, 10:32 pm
    G Wiv wrote:Don't know about anyone else but I found this Youtube video 16 Ways to Wrap a Dumpling fascinating.
    ----} Link

    Mandy one-ups Gao with 24 ways! :P


    24 Ways to Wrap Dumplings
    Same planet, different world

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