Char Siu Baozi ( 叉烧包 ) taste a heck of a lot better with charcoal BBQ char siu. I will not make (叉烧包) again with char siu make any other way. With sesame seeds and coriander, this is how I remembered it used to be when I was young, hmmmm…..when I was younger? Some 30+ years ago.

This type of baozi fillings can hardly be found anymore. My son used to love the char siu bao when we have Dim Sum and when I buy home the ready made bao. However in recent years they are so full of fat pork and only taste sweet that he has gone off them. He was so happy when I made these for him with pork shoulder. The hubby who don’t like fats pork appreciate them too.

I have been hankering to make myself some for ages as I just could not get fillings I like and the filling is always wanting. Then it occurred to me it is missing that BBQ charcoal taste. So last week I made 2kg plus of char siu with extra marinate to make the sauce and saved some for today. For my char siu recipe please click here https://www.julieolive.co.uk/2020/07/22/char-siu-chinese-bbq-pork-ala-julies-recipe/

It is much better to make your char siu, cubed them, cook with the saved marinate (please refer to link) adding cornflour slurry to thicken then place in a shallow container with lid in fridge to use the next day.

TIP – Do not add the sesame seeds and coriander leaves until it is time for you to wrap so the coriander stays green and the sesame seeds stay light. Much prettier looking. I do like pretty looking food. Eat with the eyes first for me.

Next is to figure out the easiest way I can make the ‘bun/skin’ making as I still cannot use my left shoulder and hand that much still due to my frozen shoulder. I have been thinking of a simple way in bed resting each nights. kekekekekeke

Finally I tried doing everything using my Kenwood titanium and I only wrap. Trial and error until it is ok to write out a recipe – hence the easy char siu baozi is born! It also takes only 3 hours max from starting to tummy!

I must have made this about 5 times now in so many weeks. Before I only ever make baozi once in a blue moon as I can easily buy here in London. Lockdown ……punya pasal. We have to make everything ourselves. Luckily I like cooking.

TIP – I will take a pic and update when I can get the flour I preferred. I made a second round for these pics yesterday using cake flour and it was not too bad but not as white as the other bao flour with a green cabbage in front of the packaging. You can get the flour from most Chinese supermarket in UK. Any low gluten bleached flour is all right to use. Just your baozi will be less white.

Update 07/01/2022 This is the flour I used besides the cake flour in the old pics.

When I lived in Bercham Ipoh, there was a man who came sometimes to the market and he sells all manner of fried Chinese dough aka Chinese doughnuts but this is my favourite – Kap Chong.

My husband was very happy with this and said no need to cook lunch, he can have these for breakfast as well as lunch.

Luckily I can still make these because have not made them for like 10 years since I moved down from Devon to London’s as Chinatown is just half an hour train ride away.

I prefer my sticky rice to be “can see each grains” type. I fermented the dough overnight.

The second batch I made I used ley water and I have to say I did not like the taste! So I adjusted to my taste with amonia powder and after the 4th time (discounting the 2 times that went into the rubbish bin) I am happy to post this recipe. I have certainly made a little dent into the bread flours I bought before lockdown – kekekekekeke

I actually made Kap Chong with Chinese 5 spice and Kap Chong with fermented red beancurd because I forgot which taste I prefered more.

However the hubby and I found out that we much prefer the Chinese 5 spice taste more.

Why making these at home? Well you can adjust the amount of Chinese 5 spice to suit your taste, the amount of sugar, salt and dough. My husband requested for more glutinous rice and I can adjust that too. The taste is entirely up to you.

The next batch I make I will freeze half to see how well they freeze. I know dough when proofed can be frozen but I just do not like to handle them when defrosted. I will update when I have done so. I have already decided to freeze them individually with grease paper separation but at the moment I do not have freezer space spare.

It will be nice to be able to just put some to defrost overnight in the fridge and fry the next morning for breakfast.

My next project as I have kilos of glutinous rice left – kekekekekeeke (blame lockdown)!

TIP – I made the rice baton the night before.

TIP – I let my dough ferment overnight too.

Hubby always order salmon fried rice if we go to a sushi restaurant. We have been eating out lately and he had ordered this twice.

Today I have decided to cook this dish for his lunch as I have some salmon fillets in my freezer. Last night I took the fillets out and placed them to defrost in the fridge. They were just right this afternoon for cooking.

I used my home grown spring onions which I have reseeded and I will never need to buy spring onions for another year! Love my little kitchen garden.

I have also used my home grown Trinadad Moruga Scorpion. Just one for the whole wok and my goodness, it’s the spiciest chilli I have ever eaten in my life of which I lived half a century thus far! As soon as I cut it I can ‘smell’ it.

Tip – Oil the hand that you use to handle the chilli if you are like me and don’t like using gloves.

TIP – Don’t cube your salmon into too big chunks (optional) as I like to match them to my rice.

A friend gave me a chunk of beef flank about 2kg in weight and I was thinking and thinking and thinking what best to cook with it. Finally I have decided on crispy beef. Beef flank is perfect for this dish and it’s not tough.

It has also been a log time since I cook this dish because no matter how much beef I fry it’s never enough. We are just greedy but it is so moreish and a good eat when wrapped with my home grown lettuce, so fresh and crispy. The best of all is I do not feel guilty eating them all day long.

For those who prefer to have some carbohydrates, these can be used in tortilla wraps or burger buns like my boy.

On a day like today where the weather is teetering between 13C & 16C you get to feel a bit bored. It has just been cloudy all day and I really feel like cooking something comforting. At the top of my comfort food list is steamed minced pork with Tung Choy. 

I still remember the happiness I felt when I moved from Devon in the South West to outer London and found tung choy in Chinatown. It’s amazing how we missed the things of our youth as we inevitably grew older.

Crispy curly purple kale. From garden to tummy in 30 minutes all because I wanted some snack and I went over board with planting kale this year.  The hubby has been muttering how can we eat that much curly kale but I have been ignoring him.

I bought 2 corn fed chickens on Saturday and they have been giving me sleepless nights, wondering what to do with them. Hubby requested for Cantonese roast chicken so I marinated one for Friday. 

However I felt like frying today so I woke up at the crack of dawn. Washed the chicken with salt, rinsed and cut one chicken to form into “pipa” shape, or butterfly shape, and seasoned with marinate quickly because I wanted to marinate for a good 6 hours before cooking.  This is to ensure that the taste permeates the chicken.