Begging To Be Filled Chinese buns in their many forms, known collectively as “bao”, are a delight. Baked golden brown, steamed baozi, filled with crispy charred pork belly, stuffed with sticky sweet bar-b-que (char siu bao), made springy with alkali water, pure white mantou, covered in toasted sesame, or a crispy sweet ‘pineapple cookie’ atop bolo bao… there are … Read More →
Ancient Chinese Secret In another fit of spicing, you’re going to need to know how to concoct classic Chinese five-spice. If not today, someday soon. Possibly over the next week as I post some bao experiments. The combination is as follows and like all my blends, should be stored airtight as mixed whole components when possible *. Grind … Read More →
"Is that really fresh bao?" - Wash onboard Firefly's Serenity Steamed or baked, fresh Chinese buns filled with hidden delights are a thing of beauty. Portable too. Whether you call them bao, humbao, baozi, or just “delicious”, they’re an easy staple you should add to your kitchen repertoire. Filled with all manner of things from your leftovers stash or haphazard pantry, they are a yeast … Read More →
Quick, simple, delicious. And oh yeah, it's healthy. The need for my gong bao recipe, one of the pillars of Chinese sauce mastery *, came up in conversation so here are the details recycled from a post long ago. This sauce is what you find wrapped around your beloved Kung Pao Chicken or Broccoli Beef takeaway at the local Chinese. Make a batch … Read More →
Make lots. They disappear fast. I’ve often been accused of cheating with my answer to the “If you could only have one food on a deserted island…” question and I’m completely at ease with that assessment. I have two answers that meet the technical criteria of the query but each is so wildly diverse in its real-world application that I’ll … Read More →
Worth finding for your dumplings Tamari is to pedestrian soy sauce what ‘extra virgin’ is to olive oils. More intense and rich flavours come from the uniquely Japanese method of production linked to the manufacture of miso paste. While a few pennies more than utilitarian Chinese soy, the taste difference is worth seeking out the genuine article when you’re going … Read More →
Better than factory made. Easier than you think. In this dim sum missive, I must confess that I had long been a lazy sod when it came to dumpling wrappers. The convenient path was just to nab a packet of a hundred ready-made for a few bucks. I have now seen the error of my ways thanks to a late night pantry miscalculation … Read More →
