Seremban Shao Bao(芙蓉烧包)

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These baked BBQ Shao Bao have a flaky and buttery crust that’s perfect for an afternoon treat. This delicious snack is referred to as Seremban Shao Bao(芙蓉烧包)

Seremban is a city about 45 – 60 minutes from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. When was the first time I ate Seremban shao bao （芙蓉烧包）? How many years have passed since then? Well, that was two decades ago.  I travelled to Kuala Lumpur to visit a friend. We took a trip to Melaka. She made an intentionally stop at Seremban on our way back so I could try this well-known snack. It’s like a steamed bun or pao, it is pleated, but it's baked in an oven. Usually, green peas and BBQ pork made up the filling.

In the early days, if you wanted to eat Seremban Shao Bao, you had to travel to Seremban, to buy it from the headquarters or its branches in Seremban.  It is now available to buy at authorized stalls all around the country. Perhaps they will be sold where I reside in the future. However, I can now prepare my own and enjoy this delicious shao bao at home fresh out of the oven.

I just love the crispy pastry and salty-sweet filling of the shao bao. The outer shell of the shao bao is a puff pastry made of lard. You can use pure ghee/clarified butter or shortening or butter instead of lard.

The method of making shao bao is almost the same as making the pastry mooncake. The crust is made from a combination of 2 types of dough: water and oil. For the filling, I am using chicken thighs seasoned with five spice powder and cooked in oyster sauce for the stuffing. You may substitute with pork or store-bought barbecue pork (char siu). I prepared my filling one day ahead and kept it in the fridge. Take it out from the fridge to room temperature before wrapping.

The weight for the filling and the crust dough mentioned in the recipe are for your reference.  Because of the liquid added to it, the flour's absorption, or the gravy's consistency, it might differ slightly.

During the shaping process, it is crucial to let the dough rest. This will let the oil spread evenly and maintain the dough moisture. So, when you are shaping the dough, always start from the first wrapped dough.

 

INGREDIENTS (20 pcs)

Filling (20g/pc)

350g Chicken Thigh

1 tbsp cooking Oil

1 tbsp Minced Garlic

3 tbsp minced shallots

50g Green Peas

1 tsp Corn starch

2 tsp Water

 

Seasoning sauce

1 tbsp Oyster Sauce

½ tsp Dark Soy Sauce

2 tsp Light Soy Sauce

¼ tsp Pepper

Pinch of Salt

1 tbsp Five Spice Powder

1 tsp Sesame Oil

50g Sugar

 

METHOD (Filling)

1 Cut the chicken thigh into cube shapes and slightly mince it. Combine all the chicken seasoning sauce into a small bowl.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, add oil and sauté minced shallots and garlic until fragrant. Once fragrant, add in the chicken, cook until the meat turns white. Add in the seasoning sauce, stir well at low heat until the sauce and the meat are all well incorporated. Add in the green peas and stir well again.

2. While the gravy is simmering, mix the corn starch with water to thicken the gravy. Stir in sesame oi, mix well again and set aside.

3. Let the filling cool off and keep in the fridge.

 

INGREDIENTS (shao bao crust)

 

Oily Skin dough (Water Dough) (20g/pc)

215g All Purpose Flour

60g ghee or butter

30g sugar

56-60g cold Water

 

Pastry Dough (Oil Dough) (13g/pc)

160g All Purpose Flour

100g Butter

 

Egg wash

1 Egg

Some White Sesame Seeds

 

METHOD (Oily skin dough)

 

1. Sieve the flour with a strainer.

2. Add the sugar to the flour, mix well.  Blend the ghee into the flour with your fingertips.  (The ghee should not be kept at room temperature to the point of being too soft, otherwise, it will stick to your hands when mixing it).

3. Pour in cold water and knead for 5 to 6 minutes to form a SOFT dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Holding back a little of the water from the recipe, adding it incrementally, and going by feel rather than measurement, is the preferred way to get a perfect dough. Please take note that water needs to be controlled well at this step. If the dough is too dry, will be hard to wrap and seal the filling.

 

METHOD (Pastry dough)

1. Sieve the flour with a strainer in a large bowl.

2. Add the ghee to the flour and blend the ghee into the flour with your fingertips. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs, slowly knead the ghee and flour with your hands until you have a smooth dough. Do not over-knead. Wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for later use.

 

ASSEMBLE FOR THE SHAO BAO

1. Flatten and roll out a portion of the oily skin dough, smooth side up, wrap in a portion of the pastry dough, fold up and pinch it tightly. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from turning dry. Repeat until the rest is completed.

2.  Take the first wrapped dough with seal side up.  Flatten the wrapped dough slightly, roll from middle out, roll it into an oval-shaped sheet about 5” long. Roll it up from the short side. Repeat the same for the second wrapped dough until the rest is completed. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Always shape the dough chronologically, to allow the dough to rest.

3.  With the swirl face up, flatten it then roll it from middle out, turn to 90°, roll it from middle out again, so that you will have a round flat dough. Next, you are going to roll into thick middle with thin edge disc. Just like making the steamed bun (baozi) skin.

4. Placed 2 teaspoonful of meat filling into the centre of the dough. Pleat the dough while rotating. Like wrapping a steamed bun(baozi). There must be no holes left in the seal and the seam side must be stuck tightly to prevent fillings from leaking out when baked.

5. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix the egg evenly to make the egg wash. Brush egg wash onto the surface of each unbaked Shao Bao. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, egg wash again. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and bake for another 20 minutes or until its golden brown in colour.  Enjoy them hot or at room temperature.