Directions

• Preheat cooking oil, cook shallot until fragrant. Add in plain flour, cook until fragrant. Combine water, sugar, oyster sauce, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, add in, cook until thickened. Add in char siew, mix well.
• Transfer char siew filling to heat resistant container, set aside until slightly cooled, then cover and keep refrigerated for later use. (Reminder: Chilled filling is easier to handle.)
• Divide chilled char siew filling into 12 portions.
• For pao dough:
• Prepare yeast dough: Combine water, instant yeast and sugar, stir until dissolved. Add in pao flour, mix into a dough. Cover the dough. Put a large cup of hot water in cooler bag (or microwave oven/oven), put in yeast dough, zip the bag and proof for 3 hours.
• Pao dough: Combine pao flour, wheat starch, salt and sugar, add to yeast dough, mix well. Add in water, mix well. Add in oil, mix into a dough.
• Char Siew Pao/Cha Shao Bao (BBQ Pork Chinese Steamed Bun)
• Use stand mixer with hook attachment, knead over “speed 2” for 5 minutes, until a smooth dough is formed. (Reminder: Knead for 6-7 minutes if do it manually.)
• Wrap dough with cling wrap, set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
• Divide rested dough into 12 portions, shape into balls. (Reminder: Cover with cling wrap to prevent from drying.)
• Making Char Siew Pao: (Reminder: Divide dough into 2 batches, 6 for each batch, prepare 1 batch at a time.)
• Coat dough with pao flour, roll out into round shape with thick centre and thin sides. Turn the flatten dough over, top with 1 portion of char siew filling, wrap filling with dough, then put onto a piece of paper.
• Bring water of steamer to the boil, arrange paos in bamboo steamer racks, cover with bamboo lid, steam over medium heat for 15 minutes. (Reminder: No need to proof the paos again, steam straight away when done.)