I have been a fan of these for a while but did not realise my obsession until I kept driving out of my way to just 'pop' in and grab one as a rich and wonderful winter lunch. I think I can justify them so easily, because I usually also get a sticky rice snow ball as well - as a treat - and because they are so cheap that it seems like a waste of a trip not to.
The steamed buns are available hot, for immediate consumption or from the chilled display for tomorrow.The thing I love about this bun is the consistency of the fillings; there is always a soft yoke quails egg, a slice of roast pork belly with crackling, vermicelli noodles, cloud ear mushrooms, a couple of pieces of Chinese sausage and the subtlety of ginger.
In my mind, this is the Chinese version of the Aussie 'mystery bag' (as my Dad lovingly calls meat pies!), but the beauty is you can actually see and taste the individual flavours.
Wow not many occidentals like Mochi (Japanese or Lien Bao in Cantonese) the glutinous rice dumplings, unless they are fried like in Ham Sui Gok (dim sum fried footballs filed with minced pork, water chestnut & shitake). Sometimes they are made with tapioca starch too. In Honkers I used to eat them filled with green tea ice cream and black sesame paste, there were so many kinds and you could even get them in convenience stores.
ReplyDeleteThe heritage of the Dai Bao - the steamed mixed bun - was similar to the cornish pastie, something portable that could be taken into the fields and eaten and originally may have contained leftovers.
In the Mekong I saw a hawker lose his entire tall load of succulent buns in bamboo steamers, falling off the back of his pushbike at a bus terminus - very sad.
Whoa, look at the ingredients in that baby! I'll never be able to look a boring ol' Chao Siu Bao in the face again! :(
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