Okay, so I tried my hand at making dim sum steamed buns today, and let me tell you, it was quite the adventure! I’ve always loved those fluffy, soft buns you get at dim sum restaurants, and I figured, “How hard could it be?” Turns out, it’s a bit of a process, but totally worth it in the end.
First off, I gathered all my ingredients. For the dough, I needed all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, salt, warm water, and a bit of oil. I also needed to prepare my ingredients for the filling, since I decided to make some char siu bao, I needed some char siu, and some other little things like soy sauce and oyster sauce. Pretty standard stuff, nothing too crazy.
I started by activating the yeast. I mixed it with some warm water and a pinch of sugar, and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it got all frothy. That’s how you know it’s alive and kicking. Then, I combined the flour, sugar, and salt in a big bowl, and made a well in the center. Poured in the yeast mixture and the oil, and started mixing. It was pretty messy at first, but I kept at it until it formed a shaggy dough.
Next came the kneading. I dumped the dough onto a lightly floured surface and kneaded it for a good 8-10 minutes. It started out sticky, but gradually became smoother and more elastic. This part was a bit of a workout, not gonna lie. After kneading, I placed the dough in a greased bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until it doubled in size.
While the dough was rising, I whipped up the char siu filling. I mixed some diced char siu with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, and a touch of five-spice powder. I sauteed some onions and garlic until fragrant, then added the char siu mixture. Cooked it for a few minutes until it thickened a bit.
Assembly Time
Once the dough had doubled, I punched it down to release the air, then divided it into equal pieces. I rolled each piece into a ball, then flattened it into a circle. Spoon some filling into the center of each circle, then gathered the edges and pinched them together to form a bun. I placed the buns on a piece of parchment paper, seam-side down.
Steaming
- Set up my steamer basket over a pot of boiling water.
- Carefully placed the buns in the basket, leaving some space between them.
- Covered the steamer and let the buns steam for about 15-20 minutes.
The moment of truth! I lifted the lid, and there they were, all plump and fluffy. They looked just like the ones from the restaurant! I let them cool for a few minutes, then took a bite. The bun was soft and slightly sweet, and the filling was savory and delicious. Success! It was definitely a labor of love, but totally worth the effort. I’m already planning my next dim sum adventure!