Craving for dim sum but too lazy to leave the house? Here are easy recipes for you to try at home.
Makes about 40
INGREDIENTS
For the pork stock jelly (zhu pi dong):
300g pig skin*
300ml water
100g chicken
100g pork
140g spring onions
140g old ginger
For the filling:
500g pork belly, minced
½ tbsp salt
1½ tbsp cornstarch
100ml water
35ml light soya sauce
50ml dark soya sauce
A pinch of white pepper
1½ tbsp sugar
70ml cooking oil
A drizzle of sesame oil
40g spring onions, chopped
50g ginger, minced
For the dough:
500g rice flour
80g dough fat*
1 egg yolk
200ml water
*Pig skin is available at wet markets. Get your butcher to remove the fat from the pig skin. Dough fat is available at baking supply stores like Phoon Huat (171 Bencoolen Street).
DIRECTIONS
1 Blanche the pig skin in hot water. Drain, and mix it with the rest of the ingredients for the pork stock jelly, then steam or double-boil the mixture for 3 hours. Pour the liquid through a sieve and discard the residue. Chill overnight until it sets to a jelly-like consistency.
2 To make the filling, mix the pork belly, salt, cornstarch and water together. Add the light and dark soya sauces, pepper and sugar, and mix well. Finally, mix in the cooking oil and sesame oil. Chill for 30min.
3 Remove the pork stock jelly from the chiller and mince it. Add it to the filling with the spring onions and ginger.
4 To make the dough, place the fl our on a work surface and make a well in the centre. Add the dough fat, egg yolk and water in the well and knead until a dough forms. Shape it into a rectangular block and set aside for 15min.
5 Slice a piece off the block and roll it into a 2cm-thick log. Portion the log into 3cm pieces.
6 Flatten each piece into a thin circle using a thin rolling pin. Set aside for 2min.
7 Place 1 tbsp of filling on each wrap. Make multiple pleats around the edge and pinch them all together at the top to seal. Twist slightly to tighten it. Place in a bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper and steam for 5min.
Makes 20
INGREDIENTS
200g minced pork
100g prawns, diced
3 dried mushrooms, diced
15 wonton skins
Shrimp roe, for garnish (optional)
FOR SEASONING
A pinch of salt
1 tsp chicken stock seasoning
2 tsp sugar
1¾ tsp potato flour
2 tsp sesame oil
DIRECTIONS
1 Combine minced pork and prawns, and add ingredients for seasoning. Mix well until it becomes a sticky paste; add in dried mushrooms, then mix again.
2 Place 1 tbsp of the pork and prawn mixture onto the middle of a wonton skin. Gather the sides of the wonton skin to wrap it up. Spoon off excess filling and smooth the top of the siew mai. Repeat for the rest of the wonton skins and filling.
3 Steam siew mai on high heat for 8 to 10min.
4 Garnish with shrimp roe.
Serves 3-4
INGREDIENTS
1 pack Heng’s Carrot Cake, cut into 2cm cubes
5 tbsp Woh Hup XO Sauce
4 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp chopped spring onions
DIRECTIONS
1 Spread out the carrot cake pieces in a hot frying pan and cook for 3min. Add the XO Sauce and stir-fry for 1min.
2 Pour the eggs evenly over the carrot cake and cook for 1min. Flip the carrot cake pieces over and cook for another minute.
3 Top with spring onions and cook for 30 seconds. Serve hot.
Makes 20
INGREDIENTS
FOR DUMPLING SKIN
150g wheat flour
150g potato flour
300g water
FOR FILLING
1 tsp salt
500g prawns
1 tsp chicken stock seasoning
2 tsp sugar
3 tsp potato flour
1½ tsp sesame oil
DIRECTIONS
1 To prepare dumpling skin, mix wheat flour and potato flour in a bowl; pour water in, stir well, knead into a dough and set aside.
2 Rub salt onto prawns until they become a little sticky. Add chicken stock seasoning, sugar and potato flour to the prawns and mix well. Pour sesame oil into the mixture and mix again.
3 Take about 1 tsp of dough and press to make the dumpling skin. Place 1 tsp of prawn mixture in the centre of the dumpling skin, fold skin and shape it to look like a crescent. Repeat for the rest of the dough and filling.
4 Steam prawn dumplings on high heat for 5min.
Makes 25 pieces
INGREDIENTS
For the oil dough:
300g plain flour
150g vegetable shortening
150g salted butter
30ml corn oil
For the water dough:
150g plain flour
19g bread flour
9g milk powder
28g vegetable shortening
45g egg, beat an egg then measure out what you need
100ml water
A pinch of salt
For the egg custard:
82g egg, beaten
10ml evaporated milk
110ml sugar syrup, make a simple syrup by mixing 2 parts water to 1 part sugar
10ml fresh, full-cream milk
DIRECTIONS
1 Make the oil dough by combining all the ingredients for it in an electric mixer. Mix until a dough is formed.
2 Dust a work surface with flour, and knead the oil dough into a ball. Wrap with cling fi lm and chill in the fridge for 20min.
3 Make the water dough by combining all the ingredients for it in an electric mixer. When the dough forms, roll it into a 1cm-thick sheet with a rolling pin. Both the oil and water doughs should have the same texture and firmness.
Make the tart base and egg custard:
1 Wrap the rectangular water dough around the ball of oil dough, pulling the edges in to cover the oil dough fully.
2 Roll out the combined dough until it’s flat, and roughly eyeball it into three sections. Fold the left section onto the centre, then the right side over the first flap – you should have three stacked layers of dough.
3 Roll the dough flat again and repeat the folding process. Do this two more times – this process is what makes the tart base soft and flaky. Cover with cling wrap and store in the fridge while you make the egg custard.
4 Mix all the ingredients for the egg custard in a large bowl. Run it through a sieve to ensure that there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth.
Bake the tarts:
1 Preheat the oven to 200 deg C. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it to about 0.4cm thick.
2 Use an egg tar t mould to stamp the dough into individual bases before pressing each one into the mould.
3 Prick small holes in the base, then pour in the egg custard. Bake for 10 to 12min until the crust is golden and the custard is firm.
Makes 20
INGREDIENTS
160g plain flour
80ml hot water
½ tsp vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
300g minced pork
150ml chicken stock
2 tbsp light soya sauce
½ tsp chicken stock powder (from a stock cube)
½ tsp finely chopped ginger
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp sesame oil
50g chives, finely chopped
1 tbsp water
DIRECTIONS
1 On the countertop, combine the fl our, hot water and oil to form a soft dough. Let it rest for 15-30 min, or until the dough feels even, with no lumps.
2 To make the filling, mix the egg, minced pork, chicken stock, light soya sauce, chicken stock powder, ginger, pepper, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the sesame oil and chopped chives, and mix again. Chill for 30min.
3 To make the dumpling wrappers, divide the dough into 20 portions. Sprinkle some flour on the counter to prevent sticking. Using a rolling pin, flatten each dough portion into 1mm-thick discs, 2.5 inches in diameter.
4 Place a heaped tablespoon of filling onto the centre of each wrapper. Fold the halves over and pinch the edges together to seal the dumpling.
5 Heat a little cooking oil in a non-stick frying pan over low heat. Fry the dumplings for 5-7min on one side until golden-brown. Don’t fry the other side as guo tie are meant to be crispy on one side only. Pour the water into the pan, cover, and leave to cook for 1min. Turn off the heat and serve the dumplings with black vinegar and sliced ginger.
Makes 30
INGREDIENTS
FOR FILLING
600g baby white cabbage
4 tsp cornflour
500g pork shoulder meat (wu hua rou), minced
10 mushrooms, diced
30g pickles, diced
1½ tbsp sesame oil
FOR SEASONING
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp sugar
A pinch of salt
1 tsp sesame oil
A dash of pepper
2 tsp ginger juice
FOR BUN
600g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp yeast
100g castor sugar
4 tsp vegetable oil
240ml water
DIRECTIONS
1 Blanch baby white cabbage. Run under tap water to cool; pat dry, then chop it up.
2 Add ingredients for seasoning and cornflour to minced pork shoulder meat. Mix well. Add diced mushrooms, pickles and chopped baby white cabbage. Mix well. Add sesame oil and mix again.
3 To prepare the bun, sift plain flour in a mixing bowl. Make a shallow hole in the centre of the flour and add in the rest of the ingredients for bun. Knead well to form a dough.
4 Take 1 tbsp of dough, and stuff in 3 tsp of the filling and wrap into a bun. Set aside for an hour at room temperature. Repeat for the rest of the dough and filling.
5 Steam buns for 10min and serve hot.
Makes 30 pieces
INGREDIENTS
For the custard:
300g salted egg yolks
250g butter, left overnight at room temperature to soften
80g custard powder
75g milk powder
200g evaporated milk
500g icing sugar
For the dough:
300g all-purpose flour, sifted
50g castor sugar
5g baking powder
5g yeast
130ml water
2 tbsp oil
DIRECTIONS
1 Steam the yolks for 5min until fully cooked.
2 Mash the yolks with a fork, or whizz them in a food processor, until they’re fi ne and crumbly.
3 In a large bowl, mix the yolk, butter, and custard and milk powders until just combined. Mix in the evaporated milk. Finally, when the mixture looks smooth, work in the icing sugar. Do not over-mix. Freeze overnight, then, with a tablespoon, quickly scoop out and roll the custard into small balls, about 20g each. Cover with cling wrap and freeze again.
4 To make the dough, combine all the ingredients for it in a large bowl and mix until smooth – about 20min by hand, or 10min in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. The dough should “bounce” back easily when you push a finger into it. Flour a clean tabletop. Divide the dough into 30g portions and roll each piece into a ball. Use your hand to roughly flatten the balls into circular discs, about 0.5cm thick.
5 Place a portion of custard filling in the centre of each disc. Hold your thumb and index finger in a C shape, and rest the dough over this arc. Place your other hand below to make sure the dough doesn’t fall through. Gently rotate your wrist (the hand with the C-shape arc) slightly, such that the twisting motion works the yolk into the dough. Pinch close and smooth it down.
6 Transfer the buns onto paper cupcake liners. Arrange the buns in a dim sum basket, cover and let them rest for 40min. Steam the buns for 6min. Serve immediately.
Makes 30
INGREDIENTS
FOR PASTRY SKIN
600g plain flour
75ml vegetable oil
1 egg
2½ tbsp sugar
450ml water
150g butter
FOR SAUCE
450ml water
100g sugar
4 tsp oyster sauce
4 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
2 tsp potato flour
2 tsp cornflour
300g barbecued pork, diced
Egg yolk, for brushing
Sesame seeds, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1 Mix the ingredients for pastry skin. Wrap dough in a muslin cloth before placing in the freezer to chill for 20min. Remove from freezer when dough has hardened slightly.
2 Boil the ingredients for sauce and set aside. Add diced barbecued pork to the sauce before chilling it in the refrigerator.
3 Preheat oven to 260 deg C. Roll dough into a flat sheet and cut it into a 10cm by 5cm sheet. Place 2 tbsp of the barbecued pork filling on the dough and fold it into half. Place on an oil-greased tray and brush a layer of egg yolk on the pastry. Repeat for the rest of the dough and filling. Garnish with sesame seeds.
4 Bake for 20min until the crust turns golden-brown.
Serves 3-4
INGREDIENTS
1kg glutinous rice, soaked overnight
1 spring chicken, innards, head and feet removed
3 tbsp vegetable oil
75g Chinese sausage, finely diced
75g shiitake mushrooms, finely diced
75g dried shrimp, finely diced
1 tbsp oyster sauce
½ cup chicken stock
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
For wrapping
2 dried lotus leaves
2 sheets of baking paper
DIRECTIONS
1 Steam the glutinous rice for 45min.
2 Blanch the spring chicken in boiling water for 10 seconds, then set aside.
3 Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat and fry the glutinous rice with the Chinese sausage, mushrooms, dried shrimp, oyster sauce, chicken stock, sugar, 1 tsp light soya sauce and ½ tsp dark soya sauce for 3-5min, until fragrant.
4 Stuff the glutinous rice mixture into the spring chicken and secure the underside with toothpicks.
5 Spread ½ tsp each of the soya sauces evenly over the top of the chicken.
6 Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a wok and fry the chicken over medium-high heat for 40-60 seconds until golden brown. Transfer to a plate, and set aside the sauce from the wok.
7 Steam the chicken for 1 hour.
8 Blanch the dried lotus leaves for 10 seconds, and spread the baking paper over them.
9 Place the chicken on the baking paper and drizzle the sauce over. Fold up two opposite sides of the lotus leaves, then the other two sides to wrap up the chicken. Secure with toothpicks.
10 Steam for 90min and serve hot.