Home Made Pao

It's been a long time, my mum not make a Pao. Today she asked if I want to make Pao with her. Of course I did ! It is nice to have home made Pao for snacks.

A Pao or bao/baozi (chinese dialect) is a type of steamed, filled bun or bread -like (i.e. made with yeast) item in various Chinese cuisine, as there is much variation as to the fillings and the preparations. In its bun-like aspect it is very similar to the traditional Chinese mantou. People in some part of China, like to eat Pao then rice to company with their food.
Pao can be filled with meat or vegetarian fillings like peanut, lotus seed, mung bean, taro, etc. It can be eaten at any time in Chinese culture, and is often eaten for breakfast - when you go for dimsum in Chinese restaurant you always can find Pao.

I like the texture of Pao, it is soft and not sweet taste. For our Pao today, the fillings are peanuts, mungbean paste and sweet saute pork.




Ingredients for Pao Skin:
500 gram Low Protein Flour or Pao Flour (buy in Asian Grocery Store)
50 gram Shortening / White butter
100 gram Confectioners' Sugar
6 gram Instant Dry Yeast
1/4 tsp Salt
300 ml Warm water

Directions:
- In a large bowl, with dry clean hand, combine low protein flour with confectioners' sugar and salt.
- Add shortening and mix well.
- Add Instant dry yeast, continue to mix until well combined.
- Slowly pour in warm water and start to have fun with the dough. :-D
- Play with the dough, like you do exercise :-D
- Knead the dough, until come into a smooth and pliable, not sticky in your hands.
- Keep the dough in a warm place for a while.
( you can cover the bowl with clean cloth/ textile and place it under sunshine) or
you can put it into *warm oven - leave the dough aside to prove till double its size.
*remember no turn on the oven to hot.. - just nicely warm.

- If the dough is ready, divide the dough into a small dough (about 40-50 gram), form into ball, flatten, put the fillings inside and pinch to form Pao shape.
- Put aside to prove again before steaming

- Prepare the steamer, and boil the water.
- Wrap the lid of the steamer with cloth so the water not drop into the Pao.
- Steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
- Remove and nice to serve warm.

Fillings :

1. Peanuts
- ground peanuts and add fine sugar, mix until well combine. Shape into ball.

2. Mung Bean.
Soak mung bean into water a night before. Boil water and mung bean, add sugar, coconut milk, and a bit of rice powder. Stir until become paste.

3. Meat : Chicken or Pork
Slice meat into small cube size. Heat cooking oil, put chooped shallots and minced garlic, stir meat into it. (If you like, you can add finely chooped water chestnut).
Add sweet soy sauce (or brown sugar with warm water), oyster sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until meat is cook.