The steamed buns or pau that we buy are usually filled with egg custard (kaya), black bean paste, red bean paste, lotus paste or char siew. So far I have not come across any stall selling steamed buns with sweet potato paste. Thus, to enjoy these I have to make them myself.
I made the fillings one day earlier and kept them in the fridge. In this way, I do not have to rush in making the buns. My Purple Sweet Potato Buns are luscious; the dough is filled to the brim with the potato paste. You may cut down if you do not wish to have so much paste in the buns.
Making the Fillings
Ingredients:
- 350 g purple sweet potatoes (already skinned and cut into cubes)
- 4 pandan leaves, cut into 6 inches long
- 85 g of castor sugar (may add more)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp glutinous rice flour
- 200 ml water
- 3 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
Method:
- Put the purple sweet potatoes onto a metal plate with the pandan leaves. Put the plate into a steamer and steam until the sweet potatoes are soft. It will take about 30 minutes or shorter depending on the cut-size of the sweet potatoes.
- While waiting for the sweet potatoes to soften, combine the sugar, salt, glutinous rice flour and water in a bowl. Stir to melt the sugar and to mix all the ingredients.
- When the sweet potatoes have softened, mashed them as fine as possible.
- Add the mashed sweet potatoes into the sugar mixture. Mix to combine them well. (Taste a bit of the mixture. Add more sugar if you want it to be sweeter.)
- Pour the mixture into a sieve and using a spatula press the mixture through the sieve. This will ensure that all the fibers from the sweet potatoes and any impurities are removed and that we obtain the smoothest paste possible.
- Transfer the paste into a non-stick pan. Add cooking oil into it.
- Cook the paste. Keep on stirring and turning until we have a smooth and shiny surface.
- Remove the paste from the pan and let it cool down completely.
- Divide the paste into 12 portions.
- Roll each portion up into a ball and put it onto an oiled plate.
- Repeat until all the paste has been done.
- Cover the plate with a cling wrap until they are needed.
- Note: You can make the paste not just one day but very much in advance. Wrap them up in the cling wrap and freeze them. When you need to use them, bring it out to thaw to room temperature.
Making the Pau Dough
Ingredients:
- 300 g pau flour
- 100 ml warm water
- 1 1/2 tbsp castor sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp yeast
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 150 ml water at room temperature
- Activate the yeast:
- Put the warm water into a cup.
- Add the castor sugar into the cup.
- Add the yeast into the cup.
- Give the liquid a quick stir.
- Once bubbles have been formed, the yeast has been activated and is ready for use.
- Add the pau flour into a big bowl.
- Add the yeast mixture into the bowl.
- Add the salt.
- Add the oil.
- Add the water slowly, stirring all the while using a pair of chopsticks. If the dough is too dry, add more water, teaspoon by teaspoon.
- Then knead by hand until you have a smooth dough. (I find that kneading by hand will produce a finer crumb than kneading by machine.)
- Knead the dough into a ball.
- Rest the dough ball for 10 minutes, covered.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball and place it onto a slightly floured counter-top. Cover it with a cling wrap or towel to prevent it from drying up.
- Repeat until all the dough has been rolled up.
Assembly
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp milk
- 12 pieces of parchment paper 8 cm x 8 cm.
Method:
- Take a dough ball. Flatten it into a circle with a roller pin.
- Cup your left hand if you are a right-hand person.
- Put the flatten dough in the hole between your thumb and pointer.
- Take 1 piece of purple sweet potato ball and put it on the flattened dough.
- Slowly cover up the sweet potato ball with the dough.
- Then roll the dough, seam-side down, into a ball on the counter-top with your palm until the ball is very smooth.
- Put the ball onto the parchment paper.
- Dip your finger (pointer) into the milk and gently dab the surface of the dough to smoothen the surface.
- Cover the dough with a towel to ensure that it does not dry up while you work with the other dough.
- Repeat until all the dough has been done.
- Let the dough rise to at least 50% more than the original. It will take approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Bring the water in your steamer to boil.
- Wrap the cover of your steamer, if necessary.
- Steam your dough on low heat for about 5-8 minutes.
- When done, do not open the cover. Instead let the buns rest in the steamer for 5 minutes to prevent wrinkling of the surface.
- Take out the buns.
- Serve them hot immediately or let them cool down completely on a metal rack before storing them.