How to make a Lazy Dragon

Happy news on the book front:

The New York Times featured All Under Heaven in its Cookbook Issue last week. Huzzah! To quote this lovely review by Sara Bonisteel, "'All Under Heaven' follows the illustrated tradition of books like Shizuo Tsuji’s 'Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art' and Julia Child’s 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking,' and therein lies its strength. Ms. Phillips’s simple line drawings cover everything from pulling noodles to removing pig hairs. It’s almost as good as watching over the chef’s shoulder." 

I mean... I'll stop swooning in a minute or two.

I am so looking forward to SF's LITQUAKE Festival this Sunday (10/9 from 11:00 to 5:30), where I'll be camped out with a table full of food and books. Be there or be square. Or be at home watching a ballgame. (#1 is the correct answer.) 

This last week the wonderful radio host R. Gallyot of KWMR in West Marin conducted a radio interview with me called "Some Dim Sum." This interviewer is someone who really loves the foods of China, and since we had only a half hour last Tuesday, we concentrated on "The Dim Sum Field Guide." He asked lots of great questions about the finer points of dining etiquette and we had such a good time that I am clamoring to go back. Actually, I'm pretty much ready to move to this lovely coastal area just north of the Golden Gate at the drop of the hat. Check out these photos of Point Reyes and West Marin if you want to be convinced.

And finally, I was in Bon Appétit! I got to natter there endlessly about my love for char siu ribs and delve into the reasons why this is pork candy. I waxed poetic over why I get all hot and bothered about those gooey, red, meaty, juicy, amazingly addictive slabs that lure me into Chinese delis. There's lots of info there on what goes into a perfect slab of ribs and explains to some degree my inability to resist the temptation. Just please don't get me started on Cantonese roast duck or braised chickens or just about anything else that hangs in a great deli window.

I am still convinced that I'm dreaming all of this.

*  *  *

Your basic Lazy Dragon

My mother-in-law made this beautifully named dish – and how can you ever come up with a better name than Lazy Dragon, I ask you – for her family when my husband was still a tyke, and he’s never forgotten it. It was a rare occasion when she made it (for she never really enjoyed hanging out in the kitchen), but her eldest son still thinks fondly on those couple of times when she fed the family well on her steamed breads. Even today he gets more than a bit misty-eyed at the thought of her steamed bread (mantou) made with powdered milk, for he would rush home from school whenever he knew it was on the menu.

Since these steamed breads mean so much to him, over the years I’ve figured out how to make pretty much everything that he used to munch on as a kid. A Lazy Dragon isn’t particularly hard if you’ve ever made, say, mantou or filled buns (baozi). In fact, it’s a million times easier than wrapping up a bunch of baozi since you really are just curling the filling inside of the dough like a jellyroll.  

I’m basically using ground pork and cabbage here, but you can use just about anything you’d like. Just count on making around 2 cups / 900 cc of filling. If you are a vegan, chopped mushrooms with onions would be delicious, as would any other vegetarian recipe for baozi. If you don’t want pork, ground turkey is fabulous. Beef would be great, too. You can also sub in spinach or bok choy for the traditional napa cabbage and then season it however you want. My mother-in-law also added cellophane noodles, which she would soak in cool water until they were soft and then chop into smallish pieces. Really, this is another one of my World Famous Templates, and you really can’t go too wrong.

Fluffy vs juicy layers

The only thing I’d suggest you keep an eye on when making a Lazy Dragon is ensuring that the sauce is thick, because soupiness will inevitably sog up the bread. So, simmer down the sauce toward the end to make the seasonings cling to the ingredients. I’d also caution against thickening the filling with things like cornstarch, since you already have that lovely bread working on your side, and you don’t need another layer of starch to gum things up.

Now, let’s get to the part where I talk about the eating end of the recipe. A Lazy Dragon is one very fun thing to serve, especially now when the weather is cooling down and you want to serve something warm and filling. Kids go bonkers over the very idea of dining on a dragon (use spinach juice if you really want to flip them out). Actually, if you were to serve this in honor of the Khaleesi to celebrate the next season of Game of Thrones, I wouldn’t hold that against you in the least. Names aside, Lazy Dragon is a wonderful variation on the baozi theme, not only because it requires a heck of a lot less work, but also because the dragon turns out to be much juicier and a whole lot more interesting that the usual stuffed bun (imho).

Lots of punchy flavors & textures

Why it’s not made all the time is beyond me. Here’s to changing all that...

Lazy dragon

Lănlóng 懶龍

North China

Serves 4 to 6

Steamed bread:

1 teaspoon active bread yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

10 tablespoons (½ cup + 2 tablespoons) / 150 ml warm water

1½ cups / 230 g Korean bread flour, plus extra for kneading (or, 1 cup / 120 g all-purpose flour mixed with ½ cup / 60 g pastry flour, plus extra all-purpose flour for kneading)

Toasted sesame oil, as needed 

Filling:

5 dried black mushrooms, either soaked overnight in cool water or soaked for at least 30 minutes in boiling water

2 tablespoons dried shrimp

Boiling water, as needed

Half a small head of napa cabbage (about 14 ounces / 400 g), chopped

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger

4 green onions, trimmed and chopped

8 ounces / 225 g ground pork or dark turkey meat

2 tablespoons / 30 ml mild rice wine

1 tablespoon / 15 ml regular soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

Spray oil

Leave a clean edge

1. First make the bread wrapper: start at least 4 hours before you want to serve the Lazy Dragon. Place the water in a measuring cup and sprinkle on the yeast and sugar. Give the yeast time to wake up and foam, about 20 minutes; if it is not foamy by that time, the yeast is too old and you’ll have to buy a new batch.

2. Place the flour in a medium work bowl and then stir the foamy liquid into the flour to form a dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it until it is smooth and shiny, adding more flour if necessary. When it is as soft and supple as an earlobe, clean out the mixing bowl, dry it thoroughly, and rub a bit of sesame oil all over the inside. Place the dough in the bowl, turn the dough over a couple of times so that it is completely coated, cover it with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise either on the kitchen counter for a couple of hours or in the refrigerator for about 8 hours, or until the dough is at least double in size.

3. While the dough is rising, prepare the mushrooms and dried shrimp, if you haven't already done so, by covering them in separate bowls with boiling water. Soak them until the water is cool and the ingredients are supple. Drain the mushrooms, remove their stems, and finely dice them. Drain the shrimp, remove any discolored or hard areas, and mince them. Place the cabbage in a colander set in the sink and toss it with the salt.

4. Squeeze the liquid out of the cabbage. Set a wok over high heat and add the sesame oil when the wok is hot. Swirl the oil around and then add the ginger and onions. Toss them in the oil, and as soon as they smell great, add the cabbage. Continue to toss these over high heat, and as the cabbage starts to wilt, break up the raw meat and add it to the wok. Toss these together until the meat has lost most of its pink color. Then, drizzle the rice wine and soy sauce around the edge of the wok and sprinkle both the sugar and black pepper on top. At this point, you probably will have lots of liquid pooling up in the bottom of your wok, so scoot the ingredients up the sides of the wok so that the juices can heat up rapidly at the bottom and evaporate easily. As soon as the liquid has reduced to a tablespoon or so, toss the ingredients with this syrupy mixture. Take a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Remove the wok from the heat and let the filling cool down to at least body temperature.

Pinching the dragon

5. Now it’s time to roll out the dough. Turn the dough out onto a dusted board and roll it out into a rectangle about 12 inches high x 15 inches wide (30 cm high x 38 cm wide) –  it does not have to be exact. Spread the cooled filling over the dough, leaving around ½ inch / 1 cm space along both sides and the bottom, and about 1 inch / 2 cm clear at the top, as this will help keep the filling from spilling out as you roll up the dough. Starting with the edge nearest you, roll the dough up to form a long cylinder that’s not too tight, as you want to give the dough room to rise some more. When you get to the end, pinch the end of the dough into the cylinder to seal it and also pinch the two ends closed. Gently roll and shape the cylinder into a rope around 20 inches / 50 cm long. Spray a steamer basket with oil and, even better, line it with steamer paper or damp cheesecloth to help prevent the dough from sticking to the steamer. Arrange the rope in the steamer so that it looks like a snoozing dragon. Cover the steamer and let the dragon rest for around 20 minutes – if you need to wait longer than that before you cook it, place the steamer in the refrigerator so that the dough does not over-expand.

6. Fill the steamer’s pan with a couple inches of water and bring it to a full boil. Place the covered steamer over the pan so that it fits tightly. Reduce the heat to medium, or to maintain a steady boil. Steam the dragon for around 20 minutes, and then remove the steamer from the heat. Let the steamer rest for another 10 minutes or so to assist the dough in keeping its shape. Remove the dragon to a serving platter and slice into wedges. You can also freeze it, either uncooked or already cooked. Serve this as is, or with a chile sauce on the side.

Something Chinese for the Easter Bunny, part 2

(Here is a recipe modified from my upcoming cookbook, All Under Heaven. We just sent the 514-page book off to the printer! Yay!

Red date steamed buns are especially beloved around the Lunar New Year. Oftentimes it appears as one or two large steamed breads with large red dates secured in a ring around the top. But making them as individual buns polka-dotted with baby dates gives you something weird and wonderful for the holidays. And not just for the New year.

Now that it’s already spring, I’m thinking that Easter could use a little excitement, too, so I've come to think of these as bizarre hot cross buns that look like a cross between alien spaceships, deep sea mines, and Christmas ornaments.

Yum

Remove the date pits (see the Tips below) if you are serving these to children or people who have problems with things like olive pits and crabshells. I like to make the buns in this recipe with all white flour so that there’s a dramatic contrast between the red and the white.

Note too that I’ve upped the flavor here with the addition of ground ginger, the same stuff you use for your cookies and cakes. It adds a wonderfully tasty undercurrent to the buns and also is considered warming and healthful. Combined with the red dates, this is great for anyone who is on the mend, pregnant, or just in need of some TLC.

Small red Chinese dates

My Chinese friends add all sorts of things to their own versions of steamed bread, and so should you. Health food fiends who share their bounty with me make theirs almost into a steamed granola with all sorts of whole grains, seeds, nuts, wolfberries, and raisins. Others make a chocolate layer for those flower rolls from last week. Yet others knead in dark brown sugar and toasted walnuts so that they end up with tastes a bit like a maple bar. I love my friends.

All this goes to show you that Chinese steamed breads are incredibly versatile. We will be making more in the months ahead, so stay tuned.

By the way, this decoration uses 9 dates per bun, which is a lucky number especially around the New Year, since it conveys wishes that you get everything you want (jĭurú 九如).

Risen dough, ready to go

Red date steamed buns

Hóngzǎo mántóu 紅棗饅頭

Makes 16 buns

1¼ cups/295 ml warm water

2 teaspoons yeast

¼ cup/50g sugar

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2½ cups/320g white Chinese flour, plus extra for kneading (see Tip)

2 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil

2 teaspoons baking powder

144 small red dates, with or without pits (see Tips)

1. Make the dough as directed for the flower rolls, using the additional ingredients of ginger and salt. When the dough has risen and rested, lightly dust your work surface and pat it out into an even rope 16 inches long. Then, cut the dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and cover with a towel to let them rest while you prepare the dates and the steamer.

2. Rinse the dates and pat them dry. Remove any small stems you find, as well as any odd looking dates; be sure you have 144 dates when you’re through, though.

Pinch a seam over the top

3. Now comes the fun part: shaping the buns. Form one of the balls into a half-dome shape by sitting it squarely on a lightly floured work surface. Then, pinch a ½ inch/1cm wide band from the left all the way over the top to the right. Use a paring knife to cut an incision through the band at the very top and slip a date through so that it is held by the tiny band of dough. Then make a cut near the left and right sides of the band and slip dates into those, as well. Halfway up the side of the dome on either side cut two more holes and add 2 more dates.

Stick the dates in the holes

4. Now turn the bun 45 degrees and pinch a band up both sides almost to the top; make incisions near the bottom and halfway up the sides so that you can add 4 more dates to the bun, giving you a total of 9 dates per bun. Cover the finished bun with a towel to let it rise a bit. Repeat this step with the rest of the balls of dough and dates.

5. Prepare the steamer baskets as directed in the flower rolls recipe and steam the buns for the same amount of time. They can be frozen and reheated as directed in those recipes, too.

Tips

Halfway done

You may use all-purpose flour here instead of Chinese flour. The crumb will not be as light, but these will still end up rocking your world.

The best Chinese dates for this recipe are small ones. Look at the selection at your Chinese grocery store, where they will be in the dry goods aisle.

At the time of this writing, two smaller varieties are commonly available: "chicken heart dates" (jīxīn zǎo 雞心棗) and the even tinier "golden thread dates" (jīnsī zǎo 金絲棗). There probably won't be an English translation on there, other than "Chinese jujubes" or something, so refer to the Chinese.

Ready to get steamed

Lots of times you can even get the dates already pitted (called wúhé 無核), which makes eating these buns a whole lot easier. This is especially recommended for people like kids and the elderly. 

If you can't have pits in your dates but can't find them already pitted, soak the larger ones in water overnight, drain, and then cut them in half to remove the seed inside, which looks like an olive pit. In that case, you'll only need half (72) of the dates called for in the recipe.

How to form and fill baozi

Last week we looked at how to make basic steamed bread. Today it is all about steamed filled buns, or baozi. This is China’s answer to the sandwich, only better. Hot and juicy, snack food just doesn’t get any better. 

Most parts of China have their own takes on this delicious way with steamed bread and filling: Guangdong’s char siu bao, for example, with their reddish sweet-salty pork filling, are standard issue in dim sum restaurants, and near the mouth of the Yangtze they are filled with nothing but vegetables, packed with meat, or turned into tiny morsels packed with broth called xiaolongbao. Up north around Beijing and Shandong, baozi are often very large, stuffed with pork or sweet paste, and meant to stick to your ribs.

Step 1

These might look daunting if you have never made them before, but the simple truth is that they are a snap to make. All it takes is an understanding of the basic principles and a bit of practice. After that, the sky’s the limit.

A quick note on the nomenclature, before we get any further: These are often simply referred to as bao in English, but in Chinese, they are called either baozi or something-something bao — like xiaolongbao or shuijianbao — but never plain old “bao.”

Step 2

Now, on to the directions:

Follow the last week’s directions on A Steamed Bread Primer all the way to the end. Once that is done, we can start shaping and filling the buns. (We will discuss the insides later – today it is all about learning how to fill and wrap baozi.)

Step 3

1. Work on one piece at a time and keep the rest of the dough covered so that they do not dry out. Cut the dough into as many pieces are directed. Lightly roll the piece into a ball between the palms of your hands.  

2. Press down on the ball with the palm of your hand to flatten it into a disc.

Step 4

3. Lift up a side of the disc with the left hand* and use a Chinese rolling pin in the other to roll the disc out into a thin circle. Do this by rolling down one edge of the disc from near the center all the way out to the edge. Turn the 
disc counterclockwise  (or clockwise, if you are left-handed) about 45 degrees, meaning that you will do this 8 times before you get back to the starting point, while you continue to roll out the dough. This way you will end up with a fairly even circle. Keep rolling and turning the dough until you have a circle of the desired diameter.

Step 5

4. As you roll out this circle, leave the exact center alone so that you end up with what looks like an egg fried sunny-side up.

Step 6

5. The best baozi have an even layer of bread around the ball of filling, so it is important to make the top as thin as possible. However, you are going to be pleating that dough, which naturally makes the top pretty thick. This is what I have discovered: You can reduce this thickness by lightly pulling up on the edge all the way around. This makes the edge very thin and will give the final circle the look of a sombrero.

Step 7

6. To fill the baozi, make a cup shape with your left hand and poke the circle into that cup, so that the base of the dough is cuddled up against your middle finger.

Step 8

7. Carefully place the filling inside the center of the dough. Do not get any filling on the edges, as the oil in the filling will not allow you to seal the dough.

8. Pleat the top of the baozi closed: Do this by using the thumb of your left hand to poke down the filling while you pinch the dough closed with the thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger of your right hand.

Step 9

9. Work your way around the circle, pinching with the thumb, pointer, and middle fingers, while the thumb of your other hand keeps the filling away from the pleats.

Step 10

10. If you keep all of the pleats controlled with your thumb, pointer, and middle fingers, you will end up with a pointed top.

11. If you release the pleats as you go along, you will end up with a little depression in the top, which is also pretty. Place the filled baozi on oiled steamer paper and let them rise once more before steaming.

Step 11

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* These directions are for right-handed people. If you are a lefty, reverse the hand directions.