Loretta Liu - Bao: Asian-Style Buns, Dumplings & More from Your Bamboo Steamer

BAO BAO ASIAN-STYLE BUNS, DUMPLINGS & MORE FROM YOUR BAMBOO STEAMER with recipes by LORETTA LIU with photography by CLARE WINFIELD Senior Designer Megan Smith Creative Director Leslie Harrington Editor Kate Reeves-Brown Editorial Director Julia Charles Head of Production Patricia Harrington Food Stylist Flossy McAslan Prop Stylists Max Robinson & Lauren Miller Indexer Hilary Bird Published in 2022 by Ryland Peters & Small 2021 Jockeys Fields London WC1R 4BW and 341 E 116th St New York NY 10029 www.rylandpeters.com Text copyright Loretta Liu, Fiona Smith, Vatcharin Bhumichitr and Ryland Peters & Small 2022. Design and photography copyright Ryland Peters & Small 2016, 2022. See full credits on . ISBN: 978 1 788794 74 9 E-ISBN: 978 1 788794 94 7 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The authors moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed and bound in China. CIP data from the Library of Congress has been applied for. A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library. NOTES Both British (Metric ml) and American (Imperial oz. plus US cup) measurements are included in these recipes for your convenience; however it is important to work with one set of measurements only and not alternate between the two within a recipe. All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

A teaspoon is 5 ml, a tablespoon is 15 ml. All eggs are medium (UK) or large (US), unless specified as large, in which case US extra-large should be used. Uncooked or partially cooked eggs should not be served to the very old, frail, young children, pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems. Steaming is not a precise form of cooking. The cooking times in these recipes are to be used as a guideline. How long a dish takes to cook at home will depend on how your steamer basket has been set up and the heat source.

If a recipe seems to be taking longer than expected to cook, be patient with it and allow it to cook in its own time. Caution: Take care when cooking as both steam and water can reach high temperatures. Do not leave a steamer unattended and take safety precautions around small children. Neither the authors nor the publisher can accept liability for any accident or incident resulting from cooking the recipes in this book. CONTENTS Steaming is a healthy and efficient way to cook that retains all the freshness and goodness of food, without losing out on nutrients. Its especially good for delicate foods, such as fish, seafood and chicken, and really comes into its own with vegetables.

From perfectly fluffy rice to delicate dumplings, this book provides everything you need to go full steam ahead. TYPES OF STEAMER A steamer is an essential for these recipes, but is also a handy tool to have in your kitchen. Steamers are inexpensive and relatively easy to come by. Some saucepan sets come with a steamer insert, but if you dont have one of these, bamboo steamers are both beautiful and inexpensive, as well as being readily available from most kitchen shops and Asian markets. Great results can be achieved from steaming with a bamboo basket over a (preferably cast-iron) wok, replenishing the water regularly as it boils. Alternatively, you can use a saucepan that fits the steamer basket on top, to prevent steam escaping from the sides. A purpose-made tiered steel steamer is a good choice, as is utilizing a fish kettle with a rack to separate the dish from the water.

Electric steamers are another useful option, if you use this method of cooking regularly enough to warrant the investment. SETTING UP YOUR STEAMER A good rule of thumb for steaming is that the stronger the heat, the faster the dish will cook. Boiling a larger quantity of water will create more steam, which will cook the dish more rapidly. Whilst some of the recipes in this book, such as eggs, will cook best over a medium heat, a huge advantage of steaming is that dishes will not burn easily. As long as there is water in the base of the pan, you wont have to worry about burning; the dish will continue to cook over the steam. With this in mind, the cooking times in these recipes are to be used as a guideline.

How long a dish takes to cook will really depend on how your steamer basket has been set up. If a recipe seems to be taking longer than expected to cook, be patient with it and allow the dish to finish in its own time. Dont feel the need to rush the process and take these recipes as an opportunity to learn the art of steaming and enjoy the flavoursome foods that it can produce. There are five basic dough recipes used in this book. The bread dough and fluffy bread dough are used to create filled steamed buns and clamshell bao, the rice flour dough is used for filled dumplings, the crystal skin dough to make beautiful almost-translucent dumplings, and the egg dough for golden-coloured dim sum. BREAD DOUGH 2 teaspoons easy-bake/rapid-rise dried yeast 450 g/3 cups Asian white wheat flour 100 g/ cup plus 1 tablespoon icing/confectioners sugar, sifted 15 g/2 tablespoons dried milk powder teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 50 ml/3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for oiling the bowl MAKES 16 SKINS Place the yeast in a large mixing bowl, then add the flour, sugar, milk powder, salt and baking powder. Make sure the yeast is separated from the salt by the layer of flour.

Add the oil and 180 ml/ cup water and bring together with a dough scraper. When no dry flour remains, remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead firmly for 510 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil the mixing bowl. Shape the dough into two cylinders and place back in the oiled bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm/plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for 4060 minutes, or until doubled in size. Remove the risen dough from the bowl, punch it down and knead it again briefly, but very carefully rather than firmly this time.

Dough additions Add 30 g/1 oz. Korean chilli flakes/hot red pepper flakes with the flour. Add 5 g/ oz. matcha powder with the flour. Add 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder with the flour. Add a small pinch of Szechuan pepper with the flour.

Add 5 g/ oz. charcoal powder with the flour. Add 1 tablespoon squid ink into the water.