Chinese Bao

One of my favourite eateries in Bangalore is Momo hut located in Kormangala. I love how light it feels even when you are stuffed with non -veg delicacies when you hit this place. I guess the secret to this is that they use green chilies and no spice powders. This is one joint I love taking foodie friends of mine who don't get intimidated by dingy joints. It's during one of these frequent trips that I fell in love with the steamed buns they made. It tasted just like a bun except for that it was steamed and not baked. It never occurred to me that I could try this home until I came across this recipe on a site. The recipe looked too confusing but there were too many reviews with tips and suggestions that guided me through the process. And the result was impressive for a first timer. But the buns were yellowish in colour , the ones we had at Momo hut was white and this was one issue discussed by many reviewers, I hope to tackle this problem the next time. But the fact that it's steamed and therefore does not need electricity or an oven excites me ( we malayalees have a soft corner for steamed things :) ) and it also made use of my unused yeast packets. So it seems like we will be adopting Tibetan life style ( at least the culinary part) for a while. 

Ingredients for Chinese Bao ( Recipe courtesy: Carol chi - wa Chung)

Activator

Active dry yeast- 1 tbsp

White sugar- 1 tsp

All purpose flour- 1/4 cup

Warm water- 1/4 cup

Base

All purpose flour- 1 1/2 cups

Warm water- 1/2 cup

Salt- 1/4 tsp

White Sugar- 2 tbsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Baking powder- 1/2 tsp

Directions

Mix together yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 cup warm water ( ingrdeints mentioned under

activator). Allow to stand for 30 minutes.Mix in 1/2 cup warm water, flour, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vegetable oil ( ingredients mentioned under base). Knead until dough surface is smooth and elastic. Roll over in a greased bowl, and let stand until triple in size, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.Punch down dough, and spread out on a floured board. Sprinkle baking powder evenly on surface, and knead for 5 minutes. 

Divide dough into 2 parts, and place the piece you are not working with in a covered bowl. Divide each half into 12 parts. Shape each part into a ball with smooth surface up. Put each ball on a wax paper square. Let it stand covered until double, for about 30 minutes.Bring water to a boil in wok or a steamer, and reduce heat to medium; the water should still be boiling. Place steam-plate on a small wire rack in the middle of the wok. Transfer as many buns on wax paper as will comfortably fit onto steam-plate leaving 1 to 2 inches between the buns.

At least 2 inches space should be left between steam-plate and the wok. Cover wok with lid. Steam buns over boiling water for 15 minutes. REMOVE LID BEFORE you turn off heat, or else water will drip back onto bun surface and produce yellowish "blisters" on bun surfaces. Continue steaming batches of buns until all are cooked.

We had these buns with Manipuri pork curry http://ooonuready.blogspot.in/2012/06/pork-curry-manipuri-style.html. If you don't eat pork try this recipe  with chicken, mutton or beef. Ideally these buns are served with thupka or phing, but I have not tried both these recipes so far , will try them as soon as I visit Momo hut the next time :) I need inspiration.