[Chinese Recipes] Roast Pork Puffs

This one has been on our hit list for a while now. A dim sum classic, the restaurant version of which probably contains copious amounts of lard, these Chinese Roast Pork Puffs are definitely an I-don’t-really-want-to-think-about-what-I’m-eating-right-now-because-it-tastes-so-awesome-but-I’ll-probably-have-to-spend-three-hours-on-a-stairmaster kind of food.

Somehow, the fact that we use puff pastry instead of lard-based dough kind of makes it all okay. (Uh…doesn’t it?) At the very least, employing a box of store-bought pastry makes the whole assembly process a lot easier. And the very puffy puffs that result definitely can stand tall on a dim sum cart next to their lardy counterparts. It’s a good idea–your cardiologist and/or personal trainer will thank you–to share a batch of these with friends. We pawned a bunch off on delighted–if a little confused–neighbors. Sharing the love, and all that. For more dim sum madness, check out our Roast Pork Buns, Hong Kong Egg Tarts and Sticky Rice Wraps. More is on the way, so keep your eyes peeled and tea at the ready. You’ll need:

1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onion
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cup finely chopped Chinese roast pork (cha siu) – you can buy this from your Chinese grocery store’s hot bar, or make your own with our recipe.
1 sheet store-bought puff pastry, thawed
egg wash (1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and stir-fry the onion until translucent. Add the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and dark soy sauce and cook until it starts to bubble up. Add the chicken stock and flour. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring, for a couple minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the pork. Set aside to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to smooth out the seams. Once rolled, the puff pastry square should be 30% larger than where you started. Cut into equal squares (whatever size you prefer). Ours were about the size of a large ravioli. Put about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling onto a pastry square…

…and brush the edges with egg wash. Cover with another pastry square and use a fork to crimp it closed. Make sure they’re tightly sealed. Repeat until all the filling and/or pastry has been used.

Brush the tops of the pastries with egg wash.

And sprinkle with sesame seeds. We used both black and white sesame seeds.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm!

A fun way to serve them, if you want that dim sum experience, is in white paper baking cups. With hot tea, of course!

Chinese Roast Pork Puffs

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 20-24 small pastries

Ingredients

Instruction

Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and stir-fry the onion until translucent. Add the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and dark soy sauce and cook until it starts to bubble up. Add the chicken stock and flour. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring, for a couple minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the pork. Set aside to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to smooth out the seams. Once rolled, the puff pastry square should be 30% larger than where you started. Cut into equal squares (whatever size you prefer). Ours were about the size of a large ravioli. Put about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling onto a pastry square and brush the edges with egg wash. Cover with another pastry square and use a fork to crimp it closed. Make sure they're tightly sealed. Repeat until all the filling and/or pastry has been used.

Brush the tops of the pastries with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm!

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Thewoksoflife.com. Thanks so much!