Alright folks, gather ’round! Today I’m gonna spill the beans on my dim sum adventure. I’ve always been a huge fan of those little bite-sized goodies, but I’ve never actually tried making them myself. So, I snagged a “dim sum cookbook” and decided to dive in headfirst.
First things first, I flipped through the cookbook and was immediately overwhelmed. So many options! Shrimp dumplings, pork buns, siu mai… where to even begin? I decided to start with something relatively simple: steamed barbecue pork buns (char siu bao). Seemed like a decent entry point.
Next up was gathering ingredients. I hit up my local Asian market and grabbed everything I needed: bao flour, hoisin sauce, char siu pork (I cheated and bought it pre-made, don’t judge!), and all the other bits and bobs. Getting all the stuff together was half the battle, lemme tell ya.
Then, the real fun began. I followed the recipe in the cookbook, step-by-step. Making the dough was a bit of a pain – it was sticky and required a lot of kneading. I probably didn’t knead it enough, but I was getting impatient. After letting it rise (or at least, trying to let it rise – my apartment is always cold), I punched it down and started forming the buns.
The filling was easy enough, just mixing the char siu with some hoisin sauce and a few other ingredients. Stuffing the buns was a little tricky. I watched a YouTube video to get the hang of it. Pinching the dough closed without making a mess was harder than it looked. My first few attempts looked like mangled dumplings, but I eventually got the hang of it.
Finally, it was steaming time! I dusted off my bamboo steamer and carefully placed the buns inside. The cookbook said to steam them for about 15 minutes. The wait felt like forever. I kept peeking to see if they were ready.
And then… the moment of truth! I pulled out the buns, and they actually looked like real char siu bao! They were fluffy and slightly browned. I bit into one, and… not bad! The dough was a little dense, and the filling could have been a bit more flavorful, but overall, a decent first attempt.
The Good:
- I actually made dim sum!
- The char siu bao were edible (and even kinda tasty).
- I learned a lot about making dough and steaming.
The Bad:
- The dough was a bit dense (more kneading next time!).
- The filling could have used more oomph.
- My kitchen was a disaster zone.
The Verdict:
Definitely worth the effort! It wasn’t perfect, but I’m already planning my next dim sum adventure. Maybe shrimp dumplings next time… or maybe siu mai. I’ll keep you posted!
