When I was a kid - I always stuck to Chā Shāo Bāo or Red Bean Paste Bāo. To me the Big Bāo was for bigger people like adults. It's much bigger than the regular buns and i could never finish one. The Big Bāo is also a savoury bun, filled with stir fried gingered chicken, pork and chinese mushrooms in soy and oyster sauce, with a wedge of hard boiled egg. It could be a meal. The Big Bāo is also considered the King of the Bāos because it just has a whole lot more than the other 1 main ingredient Bāo. So being all grown up now, it's time to have Big Bāo.

The dough used for this Bāo is the regular kind - unlike the one for the Chā Shāo Bāo which required more time and days. This is a lot simpler and you just need to prepare it in about an hour ahead. The recipe I used is adapted from Agnes Chang's Delightful Snacks & Dim Sum. With this dough you can fill your Bāo with a variety of fillings like red bean paste, lotus seed paste, minced chicken, etc. The possibility is endless!

I haven't met anyone who doesn't like Bāo. It's cheap, it tastes great and best of all it's fills you up just right. I remember squealing as a little girl when Mum bought us Chā Shāo Bāo, the sweet barbecued pork filling oozing out from a soft and fluffy bun - always made my day. It was always Chā Shāo Bāo for me, even of there was a huge variety of different bāos with equally wonderful treasures within. It took me a few years to tear myself away from it and discovered Red Bean Paste and Lotus Seed Paste bāos... Mmmmm!!

The thing about chinese cuisine - as simple as it may appear, it usually always takes years to master it right. It's a chinese way of learning anything - practice, practice, practice (for eons) until it's drilled into your mind, body and soul. That is why my asian culinary skills are far weaker than my western abilities.

This is my first time making bāo and making bread from yeast. I obviously need a lot of practice on my bāo wrapping skills. I know it's not great or impressive, I'm still pleased at my maiden attempt. The texture of the bun wasn't as fluffy as I hoped, but that requires time for yeast to age. The filling was very tasty - I think I might add half a cup more water so it might be a little more gooier.

To make myself feel better about my first attempt, it is true that first attempts will never come close to looking like the ones you get from restaurants or Dim Sum houses. The ones that are professionally hand crafted by Bāo Shīfus (Bāo Masters) use old yeast or starter doughs that have been around for a long time. The longer the yeast is allowed to proof and age the fluffier, softer and "Smilier" the bāos get. Smiling bāos are the ones that are opened and fluffed up at the top (please do not use my attempt as a good and successful example of smiling bāos). Smiling bāos usually are used in Chā Shāo Bāos. The recipe is from Agnes Chang's Delightful Snacks & Dim Sum. I've also been researching and reading a bāo forum hosted by Jo's Deli & Bakery that has been incredibly helpful.

World Bread Day '06

This is also made specially as a contribution to World Bread Day 2006. The International Union of Bakers and Bakers-Confectioners (UIB) declared 16th of October as World Bread Day to celebrate the basic staple of life that is eaten across all cultures and tradition.

Go Carbs!