Chicken and Onions Bao (steamed buns) 洋葱鸡肉包

I have been wanting to make a bao ( filled steamed buns) that has the taste from my childhood memory. When I was a kid, I like to buy big bao from a coffee shop that they have very nice chicken and hard-boiled eggs as the filling. Especially they added a lot of onion, very sweet and yummy.

From the recent many food safety cases, we understand that many manufacturers are adding many kind of unhealthy substances to make our foods taste better, more QQ (elastic texture), springy, fluffy, or look white and nice! I started to ask myself do I need to add all these substances or many kind of white powder to make my homemade foods taste nicer? If I like them, then better I buy from them rather do it myself.

So this time, I try to remove away few ingredients from the previous bao dough recipe, just basic ingredients flour, oil, water and yeast,  to my surprised the bao still turn out good ! No doubt it look yellowish not white, but we feel these bao were so homey and original !
My family gave thumbs up to this chicken and onion bao, my son keep saying the chicken filling is yummy and my daughter asked me to open a shop selling bao, ^_^..

We feel that the onions still not enough! still can add little more..and the chicken still tasted moist after steamed..also don't forgot to add hard-boiled egg too !!

the bao dough also easy to handle

That one I tasted was big size bao, but I made into small size so I have hard time to wrap because uneven shape of chicken pieces..If make into big size, then it will be easy to wrap or using debone chicken (I prefer with bone, retain moisture)!

 A pair of old chopsticks (about 50 years old) given by the crockery shop owner that I often buy things from them..

Chicken and Onions Bao (steamed buns) 鸡肉包

(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)
*makes 16

For chicken and onions filling

750g chicken thigh (bite size pieces)
1 spring onion, sliced
2 onions (large), wedged

2tbsp light soy sauce

1tsp salt or to taste
1tsp sugar or to taste
pepper
sesame oil
dark caramel sauce, for darker colouring
Water, add when it is necessary

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok, sauté spring onion till aroma.
2. Add in chicken pieces and onion, stir to till mix well.
3. Add in seasonings, continue to cook till chicken tendered over medium heat, add water when it is necessary ( I did not add water at all).
4. Dish out and set aside to cool

6 hard-boiled eggs, wedged

For the bao dough

500g cake flour

1/2tsp salt
2tsp instant yeast
80g caster sugar
220g water
40g corn oil

  Method

 1. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix well and knead till smooth and no sticky to hands.
 2. Cover with damp cloth and proof to double in size (30-60mins).
 3. Knock down dough to expel some air, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for a while.
 4. Weigh out 55g of the dough and roughly shape into a ball, rest for 15mins.
 5. Flatten and roll out the dough into a circle with a rolling pin. Spoon in filling (1-2pcs chicken and onions, and 1pc of wedged hard-boiled egg) onto the center and pleat up the sides and seal.
 6. Place the bau onto a piece of greaseproof paper, on the rack for steaming. Cover with a piece of damp cloth and let rise for another 10-15 mins.
 7. Steam the bau under rapidly boiling water on high heat for about 10 to 12 mins.
 8. Remove from steamer and serve hot.
 9. Store in the fridge for left over bao, steam again before serve.