Chinese Steamed Red Bean Bun | 豆沙包的做法

Grew up eating Steam Red Bean Buns. Reminds me of breakfast with my family early in the morning at the coffee shop with those steamy buns, dim sum, kaya toast and eggs and hot milk tea.

This red bean bun recipe makes soft and fluffy buns and the filling is packed with smooth red bean paste. The texture for the bun dough is soft and cake like texture, not the chewy type. The dough skin is still not smooth as I would like. Will try to perfect it next time 🙂 As for the filling, it is smooth and have a bit of texture to it. It is not as smooth as mooncake type of red bean filling as I didn’t sieve the bean skin. Also, the red bean filling is slightly different from those served at the coffee shop. Those at the coffee shop, the red bean filling is more liquid and flow out like lava custard bun. To make the softer type of red bean filling, the difficulty level is higher as wrapping the dough will be tricky. These steam buns are served warm. The buns will not be as soft when it becomes cold.

I used unbleached Hong Kong flour in this video. I prefer to use the standard Hong Kong flour as the buns are whiter and softer.

Made quite a few mistakes while coming out with this recipe. Share my experience below

❤ Top Tips:
For red bean filling:
1. Use non-stick pan to fry the red bean paste
2. Use good quality red beans. I prefer normal to organic beans. Organic red beans take longer to soften and tend to be more dry. Good quality red beans makes the red bean paste more aromatic
3. Sugar also affects the taste. Brown sugar is more aromatic. Also, there are many types of brown sugar
4. Remove as much moisture as possible from the red bean paste while frying. Moisture will affect the bun dough while steaming resulting in wrinkly buns
5. Time to cook the red beans depends on the type of red bean, pot and heat level. You may use medium heat, but will have to keep an eye on the red beans and add water more often. Organic red beans take longer to get soft.
For dough:
1. Middle part thicker than the sides. If not, the buns will wrinkle
2. Water content for the dough depends on the quality of the flour. I.e. the water absorption rate for the flour
3. While shaping the dough, gently press out as much air bubble as possible to get a smooth surface bun

General:
1. Water at boiling point before placing the steam basket in to steam. Make sure the level of the steam basket is above the water level
2. After steaming, off the stove and let it stand for 10-15 minutes. Do not open the cover, buns might shrink
3. Serve warm.

❤ Questions based on comments
Why is red bean filling dry?
If you reduce the sugar and oil content from the recipe, the filling will be more dry. Also, organic red beans tend to be more dry. If you like it more moist, you can increase oil to 150 ml. Oil makes it soft & moist. But too much, it will be more tricky when wrapping the buns. Also, after steaming, the top of the buns might wrinkle if not wrapped properly.

❤ Ingredients:
Red bean filling:
150 grams red bean 红豆 150克
(Shopee Link: https://shope.ee/3KofZhOrkv)
Water 750ml (add water when necessary) 水 750毫升
150 grams brown sugar 红糖 150克
Shopee Link (https://shope.ee/5KZjxSslFp)
120 ml vegetable oil 菜油 120毫升
1 tablespoon cornstarch + 20 ml water 玉米淀粉 1汤匙 + 水 20毫升
A pinch of salt 盐 少许

Dough:
200 grams (1-1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon) Hong Kong flour 香港水仙面粉 200克 1-1/2杯+2汤匙 Shopee Link (https://shope.ee/4pdSTYqHM8)
70 grams ( 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoon) Wheat starch 澄粉 70克 1/2杯 + 1 1/2汤匙
Shopee Link (https://shope.ee/AUHpCoFizZ)
45 grams (1/3 cup + 1 teaspoon) icing sugar 糖粉 45克 1/3杯 + 1茶匙
Shopee Link (https://shope.ee/6pOXkaLxGS)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder 泡打粉 1/4茶匙
Shopee Link (https://shope.ee/5KZj3Udc1Y)
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast 酵母粉 3/4茶匙
Shopee Link (https://shope.ee/5zpPrsYavo)
135-140 ml (1/2 cup + 2 teaspoon) room temperature water 室温水 135毫升 1/2杯 + 2 茶匙
15 ml (1 tablespoon) vegetable oil 菜油 15毫升 1汤匙

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Disclaimer:
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