Carrot Cake

...not this, but the American version.


For the Cake:

4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup roughly blended carrot
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cup salad oil
1+ cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon powder

Mix ingredients until well blended. Pour into greased pan (traditionally a tube pan). Bake at 350°F (i.e., about 180°C) for 1 hour 30 min. Cool before applying frosting.


The Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz (170g) cream cheese (about 2/3 of the standard 250g pack), softened.
2 tbsp butter (unsalted), softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1+ cup icing sugar

Beat ingredients together until smooth. Apply liberally over the cake.

Fish-Fragrant Eggplants with Chicken

A favorite dish in one of my favorite Chinese Restaurants in Toronto (Asian Legend) is the archtypically Sichuanese "Fish-Fragrant Eggplants" (yuxiang qiezi). Ever since getting my hands on Fuchsia Dunlop's, Land of Plenty, I've meant to give it a try. The "Fish-Fragrant" refers to a standard style of sauces traditionally used for cooking fish that has long been adapted to other ingredients (e.g., Chicken, Pork, Beancurd). Just as I was gathering the materials to do the dish, wifey asked if I wanted some meat for dinner as well (some chicken was, at that time, defrosting in the fridge), and if so, how would I like it done? I decided that rather than do two dishes, I would simply incorporate the chicken into the eggplant dish, modifying some of the proportions of the ingredients, and changing a bit of the method to suit my own style (and convenience). The results were, to say the least, decent. Wifey and I polished the whole dish off with rice for dinner. The only drawback is the deep-frying, which is a real chore. But I guess it's no pain (from the oil splattering about), no gain.

(Recipe modified from Fuchsia Dunlop)

Ingredients and basic preparation:

- 1+ lb Eggplant, halved lengthwise, then crosswish, then into strips about 1/2" thick (for the non-Asian variety, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and leave for 30min to draw out some of the moisture); if using Brinjal, just half lengthwise and cut into 3" sections (no need to salt).
- Oil for deepfrying (e.g., peanut oil)
- 1/2 lb Chicken, cut into small pieces, marinate with 1/2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp water, 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Sichuanese chili bean paste (the real stuff: Pixian Douban; unfortunately, I don't have that, so using a Taiwanese brand...)
- 1 tsp Pickled chili paste (according to Dunlop, Sambal Oelek does just fine; since I have neither, I am using a Korean chili paste for now instead)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped Ginger
- 1 tbsp finely chopped Garlic
- 2/3 cup Chicken stock
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Cornstarch mixed with 1+ tbsp Cold water
- 2 tsp Black Vinegar (Chinkiang brand where available)
- 4 Scallions, green parts only, sliced into fine rings
- 1 tsp Sesame oil

Method:

1. Deep-fry the eggplants for about 3-4 min (at 350-400°F / 175-200°C), until slightly golden on the outside; remove and drain on paper towels.
2. Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in wok/pan; fry ginger and garlic for 30 seconds; add the bean paste and chili paste and fry for another 30 seconds; be careful not to burn the sauce (remove from heat if necessary); add the chicken and fry for a minute or two.
3. Add stock, sugar, soysauce and mix well.
4. Add eggplants and simmer for a few minutes; add the cornstarch mixture and stir to thicken the sauce; stir in the vinegar and scallions and leave for a few seconds; remove from heat; stir in sesame oil, serve.

Fresh San Franciscan Sourdough at Home

After several unsuccessful attempts at making my own sourdough starter, I decided upon the recommendation of Cooks Illustrated to use the Goldrush Sourdough Starter pack. During our trip to the SF Bay Area last Christmas, I bought two packs, in case one failed to react as hoped. After enduring several days of pungent, yeasty, soury smells in the air of our little basement apartment (good thing our neighbours didn't complain!), and 3 tolerably successful batches, I baked my first wonderfully looking, smelling, and tasting sourdough bread loaves! Loy and I love olives and herbs in our bread and so I added a generous amount of each into the dough, which, to my relief, proofed without problem. And, by the way, the best olive baguette we've tasted is sold at The Phoenix Pastificio, a restaurant and bakery at Berkeley. Below, Loy and Baby Penny pose with their friendly baker Eric during our last trip back.



Great bread tips I picked up:
1. In cold temperature areas (such as Canada in winter), place starter and dough in the oven with only the light on.
2. Watch your dough as it proofs (rises). As soon as it doubles in size and a dent remains where your finger has pressed, it's ready for baking. Slash with razor or tip of knife the surface of the dough to ensure that bread bakes evenly. Overproofing will cause the dough to deflate when slashed.
3. Covering your dough with aluminium foil (with space for dough to rise a little) will prevent the top from getting burnt. Remove the foil when bread is almost done to achieve a nice light brown.

Fuchsia Dunlop, Land of Plenty

Just arrived in the mail from Amazon.com. After successfully adapting her recipe for Ding Gong Bao Chicken, found online (see this earlier post), I decided to look for a copy of the book itself. The author works for the BBC, lived in Sichuan for several years, was the first ever foreign student to enroll at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine in Chengdu, and has tested all of the recipes in her London kitchen. Excellent...

Easy Meat Loaf

Found this nifty little recipe from Pork Perfect Pork by the Canadian Pork Council, pub. 1983. This book is filled with advice on pork cuts, storage, and lots of recipes, by the way, was picked up for a mere Can$1.00 at a hardware store near where we live. I tried the pork loaf recipe and my husband and I liked it well enough. Here's the recipe, with some minor improvisations. Highly recommended for those of you who would like to enjoy a simple, microwaved pork loaf that can be prepared beforehand and cooks in 10 minutes, and which is also highly flexible--it will do well in a Western or Chinese meal.

You may use the following recipe simply as a guide. I tried it another time, without using the proportions as given. I only had 200g minced turkey, and so used only one egg, added a little water, and added an extra 2 slices of bread broken into little bits. The result wasn't too bad (see picture above); it had a more spongy, or jelly-like texture due to the extra bread crumbs. Carry out your own culinary experiments: as long as the mixture looks fine to you, you should get some kind of edible loaf at least!

Meat Loaf
(2 ½ - 3 sufficient main servings, accompanied by soup and salad; or or as an accompanying dish to rice and other simple homecooked fare)

Ingredients:
400g ground pork
1 cup bread crumbs
1 packet onion soup mix
2-3 stalks finely diced celery
dash of pepper
sprinkling of corn starch
½ cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
(no extra salt needed!)
Cheese to taste (optional—omit if you’d like this as an accompanying dish to a nice Chinese home-cooked meal of rice and other dishes: believe me, it tastes a little like steamed pork cooked in a Chinese way! You could even add some diced cooked Chinese mushrooms if you like)

Method:
Mix together ground pork, bread crumbs, onion soup mix, celery and pepper. Add milk, eggs, and cheese (optional); combine lightly but thoroughly. Spoon into a 1L (9 x 1 ¼ inch) glass pie plate (or close equivalent). Microwave for 5 minutes and slice loaf into six portions (optional: I do it to better ensure the interior is well cooked), and continue microwaving for another 5 minutes. Cover loaf and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Bon appetit!

Sweet and Sour Fish

It's one of those fairly ubiquitous dishes that you can almost always order in a North American Chinese restaurant, though as usual, the quality varies from place to place. Below is my own attempt at doing this from scratch after trying a so-so ready mix (Maggi brand, no less). The recipe is modified from stuff I found using google, with the chilli thrown in "for effect" (I'm Singaporean after all). Works fairly well, but I'm still open to further modifications.


Now where's my green bell pepper...

Fish and Vegetables:
1 pound fish fillets (e.g., cod, haddock, sea bass; I used (frozen) basa, which is not only inexpensive, but worked very well), rinse, pat dry and cut into bite-size pieces
1 bell pepper, cut into wedges (I prefer a green one, for color)
2 tomatoes (small/medium), each cut into 8 pieces
1 onion (small/medium), cut into 12 pieces
Pineapple cubes (from a can is fine)
1 stalk green onion, chopped into half inch pieces
1 red chilli, seeds removed, cut into small strips
1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped

Marinade:
1 tsp salt
1 egg white
1 tsp cornstarch

Sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth (Knorr plus water would do)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
3-4 tbsp ketcup
3 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water (this should be separate from the rest)

Also:
Enough oil for deep-frying

Method:
1. Marinade the fish for about 15 min (mix well; best using fingers). Deep-fry until golden brown, then drain (e.g., on paper towels or rack).
2. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce, except for the last item, which should be in a separate bowl.
3. Stir-fry ginger in about 2 tbsp of oil for about 30 seconds. Add the onion, green onion, pineapplec and chilli and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes for a quick fry. Add the sauce and bring it to a boil. Add cornstarch-water mixture, stirring to thicken. Turn off heat. Add the fish and mix everything with the thickened sauce. Serve.


Preparations (what am I going to do with that left-over egg yolk?)


'Deep'-frying the fish


Mental note to self: add the tomatoes later next time so that they don't disintegrate...

Mom's Crunchy Rolled Oat Cookies

Got this recipe from my mom. That my largely cookie-indifferent dad likes these says much about them. They're very easy to make and to my mind an absolutely delicious and wholesome snack. And, as you can see in the pictures, I also made some smaller cookies using the same dough but without the coating of oats, and had each cookie dotted with a pecan for some variety.



Ingredients
(A) 200g margarine, 100g icing sugar, 1 egg & half tsp vanilla essence
(B) 300g wholemeal flour, 75g rolled oats
(C) 90g rolled oats

Method
Beat (A) till creamy, stir in (B) to form a dough. Make dough into small balls, coat on (C) and flatten them in a tray. Put in oven and bake at 180 degrees C for 10-15 minutes. Cool cookies and store in an airtight container to keep them fresh and crunchy for days.

Our Favourite Chicken Pie

The following is a somewhat rough guide to baking our favourite chicken pie. I say "rough" because I do not have precise proportions for the ingredients for the filling. The pie pastry recipe is, happily, more precise. I started baking this pie about 4 years ago and have baked, at times with the help of my dad and my husband, approximately more than 35 of them! They are usually well-received, and what follows is a recipe I typed out, on request, for our friends at Hamilton Square Baptist Church after we served them these pies as a farewell thanksgiving treat.

Ingredients (amount of each tailored to your own liking):
Chicken meat (I like to use thigh meat)
Cornflour (to keep the meat tender while cooking)
Oyster-flavored sauce (available at most major supermarkets such as Safeway and Albertson’s)
Pepper
(Garlic) salt
Parsley flakes (optional)
Potatoes
Peeled baby carrots (for greater convenience)
Onions (I used lots of this)
Canned clam chowder
Canned mushroom slices
Eggs
Butter, or margarine, or "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" (I used this)
1-2 cheese slices

Method:
1. Dice chicken meat, and marinate well with some oyster-flavored sauce (approx. 2 tablespoons per pie?), pepper and cornflour (about 1 tablespoon per pie?); cover and set aside in refrigerator to keep fresh as you prepare other ingredients
2. Dice potatoes and carrots, and begin boiling them in some water
3. Dice onions and sauté them in some ‘butter’ until they are rather soft
4. Add sautéed onions, chicken pieces, clam chowder and mushrooms to what feels like ¾ cooked potatoes and carrots (drained of excess water), and let them cook at medium-medium high for about 10 minutes more until chicken pieces are just cooked [I prefer to use fully cooked pie fillings to make sure that refrigerated, unbaked pies stay fresh for at least a day or two]
5. Taste, and add salt and pepper accordingly, if needed
6. Hardboil the eggs, dice them and mix, together with cheese, into the rest of the pie filling

Non-flaky Pie Pastry (for one 9 inch pie pan; still, just an estimate)

Ingredients:
Slightly more than 1½ cups plain flour
About 2/5 tsp salt
95g / about 3.4 oz combination of soft margarine and butter, just margarine, or "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"
Maximum 2/5 cup cold water

Method:
1. Sift flour (unless using flour that does not need to be sifted) and salt into a bowl
2. Rub in 'butter' until mixture resembles coarse crumbs
3. Stir in enough water to bind, gather the dough into a ball and wrap in clear film
4. Chill for 20-30 mins. before rolling out thinly (or as preferred) on slightly flour-dusted surface, and covering slightly buttered pie pan [Spoon pie filling on to the bottom crust]
5. Poke some steam vents on top crust, and brush on some egg yolk, being careful not to clog up the vents.

Bake pie at 425 F for 10-15 mins., followed by another 25-40 mins. until golden at a reduced temperature of 350 F.

Cheesecake II

Tried a different cheesecake recipe, this time, from cooksillustrated.com. It is definitely much more professional than my earlier one. I liked the taste of my earlier recipe, but the texture to this one is much better. So I've adapted the newer recipe in an attempt to get both the taste and texture I like.


Fresh out of the oven

Ingredients

Crust
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1+ cup Oreo baking crumbs (basically crushed Oreos without the icing)

Batter
4 sticks of cream cheese (8oz/250g each)
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 tsp lemon zest from 1 small lemon
1 tsp cinnamon powder (not in the original recipe, which calls for 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1/4 cup whipping cream (or heavy cream)
1/4+ cup sour cream

Essential equipment

9 inch springform cake pan (or even better: a "Cheesecake Pan with Removable Bottom"--but alas! I left mine in Singapore...)
Large roasting pan (big enough for the cake pan to fit in it)
Foil (larger version: 25 inch wide)
Electric mixer, etc.

Method

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees (Fahrenheit) with the oven rack in the middle position. Wrap springform pan bottom with foil, tuck foil underneath pan bottom, assemble pan, then pull foil around side of pan. Prepare a kettle of boiling water.

2. For the crust: melt butter, mix it well with the Oreo crumbs. Spread and push the resulting mixture onto the bottom of the pan evenly. Make sure that it covers the entire bottom. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool down. Bring the oven down to 325 degrees.

3. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth (I usually allow the cream cheese to warm up by it leaving out of the 'fridge before using). Mix in sugar, about 3 min allowing it to dissolve. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down after each addition, ensuring ingredients stuck at bottom of bowl are fully incorporated so as to avoid lumps. Add zest and vanilla and beat until just incorporated. Manually stir in cream and sour cream. Beat egg whites to soft peaks (separately) and manually fold into batter.

4. By now, the cake pan should be cool enough to handle. Grease the sides with butter. Cover pan underneath and along sides with sheet of heavy-duty foil and set it in the roasting pan. Bring kettle of water to boil. Pour batter into prepared pan. Cover the top of the pan with foil (just put a sheet over lightly over the pan, don't bother wrapping it around the pan). Set roasting pan on oven rack and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan.

5. Bake at 325 degress until perimeter of cake is set, but center jiggles like Jell-O when pan is tapped, 45 to 50 minutes. Turn off heat and leave oven door ajar (using a long-handled kitchen fork or spoon to hold it open) for 1 hour longer. Remove springform pan from water bath and set on wire rack; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours. (Can be refrigerated up to 4 days.) If done right, the cake should shrink slightly, detaching itself from the sides of the pan.

Successfully made night of Wednesday, Oct 19. To add blueberry topping when serving (desert on Friday evening for guests).

Homemade Gongbao Chicken

I've been on the lookout for Chinese restaurants that do good Gongbao Jiding ever since I came to North America--with mixed results most of the time. While the better (i.e., more expensive) restaurants can usually do a good job with it, the same cannot be said for the run-of-mill lunch-special-for-3.99 outfits (usually too watery). Today, I decided to give the dish a go myself--after finding a respectable looking recipe online (adapted below), and reminding myself that I should be looking for ways to use my small stash of Szechwan Peppercorn and Dried Chilli. But as usual, I had to take some liberties with the recipe, the most scandalous being the substitution of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Peanut Oil (I've switched to Olive for practially all of my cooking--including stir fry--for a while by now), and Balsamic Vinegar for Black Chinese Vinegar (since my last bottle was used up and I wasn't intending to buy a new one just for this). The overall results--I am happy to report--exceeded expectations:



Recipe (as I prepared the dish)
"+" means "and a bit more"

Main Ingredients
- 1 1/2 boneless chicken thigh (supposed to be breast) without skin (about 2/3 lb)
- 2 garlic cloves and an equivalent amount of fresh ginger
- 4 scallions (a.k.a. spring onion), white parts only
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (supposed to be peanut oil)
- Small handful dried red chillies (preferably Sichuanese, but I only have generic)
- 1 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorn (I love this stuff)
- 1/2 cup cashew Nuts (bits; traditionally roasted unsalted peanuts; but cashew is supposed to give a grander version of the dish--and in any case, that's what I have today)

Marinade
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine (medium-dry sherry is supposed to do as well)
- 2+ tsp cornstarch (or 1 1/2 tsp potato flour)
- 1 tbs water

Sauce
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1+ tsp cornstarch (or 3/4 tsp potato flour)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 3 tsp Balsamic Vinegar (supposed to be Chinkiang black Chinese vinegar)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (product of Singapore "Chee Seng" brand, no less)
- 1 tsp chicken stock (i.e., water + pinch of Knorr chicken broth mix)

Preparation (As it turns out, most of the work is in the preparation (cutting, measuring, etc.). The cooking itself does not take all that long. Hopefully, as I get more experienced with the dish, I will be able to guesstimate the quantities without having to resort to the measuring spoons all the time. I've rearranged the original instructions to reflect the actual sequence I took more closely.)

1. Cut the chicken as into 1/2-inch cubes (no need to be too exact lah). Place in a small bowl and mix in the marinade ingredients. Let sit..
2. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and ginger. Chop scallions into chunks as long as their diameter. Snip the chillies in half or into 2-inch sections, discard as many seeds as possible. Set aside.
3. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.


(left: the ingredients all ready for the pan; right: a bevy of seasoning)

Cooking

1. Heat Olive Oil over high heat (another scandalous substitution: I use a non-stick pan rather than a wok). Leave one small slice of garlic for testing the temperature--when it begins to sizzle, it's time. Add the chillies and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until they are crisp and the oil is spicy and fragrant (opening the windows is advised). Take care not to burn the spices. Add the ginger and garlic (they are added later in the original recipe but Wifey prefers her garlic well cooked). Stir.

2. Add chicken and fry over high heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the chicken cubes have separated, add the scallions and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes until the meat is cooked through (test one of the larger pieces to make sure).

3. Give the sauce a stir and add it to the wok, continuing to stir and toss. As soon as the sauce has become thick and shiny, add the cashew, stir them in, and serve.

(Variations: The same dish can be made with cubes of pork, shrimp, or prawns.)

Next stop: Mapo Tofu, Iron Chef Chen Kenichi Style.

Savoury Raisin Almond Cookies

Had some extra dough from making pineapple tarts, and so decided to knead in some raisins and almond slices, form little dough balls and press them flat. Easy cookies, I thought. And waddya know? These are now favourite cookies of my husband and I.

Chawanmushi Improvised

- Eggs x 3 (Large US-size; if small, use 4)
- Chicken stock 1/2 cup (supposed to be dashi stock)
- Salt 1/4-1/3 tsp
- Sugar 1 tsp
- Soysauce 1 tbsp
- Sake 1 tsp

- Chicken thigh x 1, cut the meat into small pieces
- Shiitake mushrooms x 4-5, sliced thinly
- Crap flavored pollock 2 oz (i.e., imitation crab; supposed to be kamaboko), sliced thinly

- Spring Onions, chopped (supposed to be mitzuba and yuzu)

Divide the chicken, crab flavored pollock and shitake mushroom between 3-4 bowls (first picture). Beat eggs--carefully, without making bubbles. Mix in stock, soysauce, salt, sake and sugar. Strain the egg mixture (second picture; note: here will be some thick egg white left, don't use it). Divide the egg mixture between the bowls (third picture). Place some spring onion on top of each bowl. Cover them (e.g., with foil). Steam on high heat (place it in the steamer after the water starts boiling; fourth picture) for about 5 min, then continue on reduced heat for another 15-20 min (depends, have to experiment). Serve (last picture; I used parsley for that round; not really a great idea).

First attempt: June 4, for supper

Recent Photos (captions to come later)

Swedish-ish Meatballs (dinner Apr 29)



Solyanka (dinner Apr 30)

Honey Almond Rice Pudding of Pleyn Delit

Got the following recipe from the book shown above. To read more about how I acquired this little gem of a cookbook and to gain a few small morsels of knowledge about medieval cookery, click here.

Click on picture to see it up close

Note: what I used for a pleasant variation is in square brackets
Ingredients:
1/2 cup short grain rice [brown rice, with longer cooking time]
2 1/2 cups milk, water, or a combination [2 cups milk and 1/2 cup sweet soy milk]
1/2 cup ground almonds blanched [1/2 cup almond slices and a handful of currants]
1/2 cup sugar [slightly less]
2 Tbsp honey [rounded tablespoons]
1 cup boiling water [slightly less]

Method:
Cover the rice with milk (or whatever combination you wish here) and bring to a simmer; cook over very low heat, very gently, for at least 30 minutes or until rice is cooked, stirring occasionally and adding more water if it shows signs of drying out. Remove from heat and set aside to cool so that any remaining liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, place almonds, sugar and honey in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Stir and allow almond mixture to steep. When rice has cooled, stir this mixture into it and allow rice pudding mixture to simmer on medium low for 10 minutes or as long as it takes for the pudding to become as thick as you like it. Remove from heat and pour into serving dish or individual pudding cups or bowls. Cool and chill. Sprinkle a little cinnamon powder before serving if desired.

Chicken Bao, Singapore-style

Makes 8 medium sized baos (or buns, if you will)

For those of you in the know, this bao is not exactly "Toh Kee" (famous bao shop that was at People's Park Food Centre until a little while ago; now at Upper Cross Street) standard. It is, however, good enough for us. Make it bigger or smaller. It's all up to you. I once tried making small baos, and another time big ones, and it does not seem to me that the steaming time of 10 minutes needs to be adjusted much.



Some photos of the latest attempt

For the bao filling: sorry--all your own estimation here!
1. chicken thigh meat, cut into bite-sized chunks and seasoned for about 10 minutes at least, with cornstarch (for tenderness and a slightly starchy consistency), pepper, light soy sauce, a little oyster sauce, a dash of sesame oil, sprinkling of sugar, and finely chopped spring onions.
2. hard-boiled eggs (cook, shell and cut into bite-sized chunks)
3. (optional: we used only chicken and egg) sliced bamboo shoots (canned ones) or thinly sliced water chestnuts - just fry with the chicken
Method: Quickly stir fry the seasoned chicken chunks in some oil, adding a little bit of water for just a little gravy, and cook on medium high until chicken is just cooked. Mix in hard-boiled egg chunks, and, if necessary, add a little more light soy sauce and sesame oil until the filling tastes great.

For the bao skin:
4 Tbsp warm water (not too hot--you'll kill the yeast!)
1 Tbsp quick-rise yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 slightly rounded tsp salt
11 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp oil
3 cups flour
Method:
1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Add to this yeast mixture salt, milk and oil, and stir to combine.
3. Stir in flour.
4. Knead 5-10 minutes or until dough is smooth. You can add just a little bit of water if dough looks too dry and does not hold together well.
5. Divide dough into 8 more or less evenly sized balls
6. Press balls into rounds as thinly as you like it, though not so thin that it breaks when wrapping the filling
7. Place suitable amount of filling onto the centre of the round, pick up the sides of the dough and secure with a few kneads at the top so that filling is all covered up.
8. Place each bao on a piece of suitably sized paper (we used ordinary white printing paper), and let them rise (covered, in a steamer basket) for about 1 1/2 hours or until almost doubled in size.
9. Bring the water under the steamer to a boil, and let baos steam for 10 minutes.
10. Enjoy them hot!