My Bao Experiment

[htc]

I am trying to recreate my own version of a sweet bao. Instead of using yellow beans, I am going to use red beans. I have no recipe, just basing it off of what I have seen my Mom do with yellow beans and blind luck.

I put 2 ramekins of red beans (the ones from the Asian store, not the kidney beans) in a crockpot and plan to cook it overnight. Tomorrow when it is all done, I will dry cook it with some coconut cream. (Mom uses coconut milk, but I want to see how this works). I will as sugar to taste and then run it though a food mill. I have some prepackaged bao flour to use for the outside.

Cross your fingers! I will report back soon and take pics. I make really ugly bao, my hands aren't used to it and I haven't gotten a feel for it yet. Mine look similar to ones that my step son makes!

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

Well, I dont dont what bao is. but I hope it turns out!

 

[Michael in FtW]

Are you talking about Dow Sa Bao - steamed dumplings with sweet bean paste filling? I love those things - but never tried to make them. I know there are other versions of Bao with different fillings (chicken, pork, etc.) but since you mentioned the beans and sugar I'm guessing you're making the sweet bean-paste filling.

Let us know how they turn out! And if they are good - a recipe would be nice.

 

[masteraznchefjr]

its sort of like a umm how to describe it??

 

[nicole]

I don't know what they are but, they sure look good

 

[htc]

Bao is basically a steamed dumpling. It can have a sweet filling or a savory filling. The picture chef posted looks like it's the bao with bbq pork filling (Chinese). The Vietnamese also have a meat filling, but it's completely different (ground pork, hard boiled egg, dried shitake mushroom, peas). I am only familiar with Chinese & Vietnamese bao, I wonder if other cultures have bao (i.e. Korea, Laos, Thai, etc)Even the sweet bao, there are many variations of it. Sometimes I go buy the canned sweet bean paste and put it in puffed pastry for what I call my "East meets West" bao. Lame, I know...especially considering someone else probably started doing that long before I ever did.

 

[buckytom]

would bao fall under the category of dim sum?

 

[htc]

Yes. The usually have both savory and sweet at dim sum.

 

[wasabi]

We call the steamed dumplings, manapua. I love the ones with the sweet bean filling. You can put just about anything in these dumplings. We have a store here that sells the manapua with these fillings-BBQ chicken with maui onion, shoyu chicken, garlic chicken, curry chicken, kalua pig, roast duck, lup chong, taro.A manapua is a meal in itself.


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[htc]

Here are pictures of the results.

Raw bao (unsteamed):


Bao after it has been steamed:


The filling (uncooked):


The filling (cooked):

 

[htc]

Cooked filling:

http://img119.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img119&image=filling2sc.jpg


Prepackaged flour I used:

I had a pretty good time making the bao. I'm getting a tiny bit better at shaping it. The prepackaged dough isn't that great, I will just use up what I have and then try to tackle my Mom's recipe.

 

[nicole]

oh! they look so great

 

[Pam Leavy]

We have boa poa here. You can buy them either fresh or frozen. They come with different fillings, chicken, pork, beef, chicken sate,etc.


Are the ones with bean filling Chinese in origin? I never thought about making my own. What a great idea. It looks like fun.

Pam

 

[htc]

I honestly don't know the origin, but do know that there are many Chinese versions using different beans. You should give it a try, it's fun!