Wordless Wednesday: This Week's Sunrises

Siopao : Steamed Buns with Sassy Filling

Siopao (pronounced Shew Pow) is a favorite snack in the Philippines. It comes from the long history of Chinese in the Philippines and as you may know, Bao or Chinese Buns are a classic item in Hawaii. You can find them everywhere and with many varied fillings. Our farmer's markets have stands which sell them. They are in the fresh and frozen sections of our grocery stores and many restaurants feature them here, particularly for Dim Sum. I have tasted versions of these buns from all over Asia. They generally have a savory filling, but the Japanese also fill them with sweet mung bean paste and Okinawan sweet potatoes. While these buns are wildly popular in many Pacific cultures, the fillings are often kept a family secret. With Hawaii being the center melting pot of many of those cultures we probably have more variety of steamed buns than anywhere I have ever been. Some are very good, pillowy soft buns that surround a variety of interesting fillings. My personal preference is a savory filling with lots of layers of flavors that impact the taste buds
Our International Cooking Club theme for this month was Filipino foods, and I actually realized that I knew very little about the foods of the Philippines other than a few foods I have tasted from friends over the years. The Philippines is such a diverse island country with influences to their cuisine from all over the world... Spain, Central America, China, USA and Japan to name a few. 

Because I know who the supreme dumpling expert in the US is, I immediately went to my copy of Asian Dumplings by one of my favorite Asian cooks, Andrea Nguyen. She totally *gets it* when it comes to instruction and sharing recipes along with videos and step by step photos. She has a fantastic website dedicated to the subject of Asian Dumplings. Andrea's expertise is not limited to dumplings of course... her main website Viet World Kitchen is a delight. Vietnamese food is probably up in my all time favorite list of great cuisines. I never tire of it and it seems to me that there is all too little knowledge of this wonderful cuisine that includes intense flavors, fresh herbs, fiery chiles and French influences. I have said all of that to say that Andrea Nguyen is certainly one of my food idols. 

And without further ado... here is the recipe I made for the Filipino night.
I used Andrea's formula for the bun dough which is in her book and was also featured in the LA Times. I doubled it to make 36 medium buns and because I have a professional sized food processor I was able to do so. If you have a standard food processor, you might be better off doing two separate batches. I had leftover filling, so tonight I am making an additional batch.

Basic yeast dough (Famian)
Total time: 50 minutes Servings: Makes enough for 32 small or 16 medium buns Note: All-purpose flour with a moderate amount of gluten, such as widely available Gold Medal, works best to yield tender, yet slightly chewy dough. Unbleached flour produces terrific flavor, but bleached flour imparts a brighter finish that some Asian cooks like.

1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast

3/4 cup lukewarm water

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

Scant 3 cups (12 1/2 ounces) flour  
1. Put the yeast in a small bowl, add the water and set aside for 1 minute to soften. Whisk in the oil to blend and dissolve the yeast. Set aside. 
2. To make the dough in a food processor: Combine the sugar, baking powder and flour in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse two or three times to combine. With the motor on, pour the yeast mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream and allow the machine to continue running until the dough starts coming together into a ball, about 20 seconds. (If this doesn't happen, add lukewarm water by the teaspoon.) Let the machine continue for 45 to 60 seconds to knead most of the dough into a large ball that cleans the sides of the bowl; expect some dangling bits. Press on the finished dough; it should feel medium-soft and tacky but should not stick to your finger. 
3. Alternatively, to make the dough by hand: Combine the sugar, baking powder and flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Slowly stir with a wooden spoon, moving from the center toward the rim, to work in all the flour. (Add lukewarm water by the teaspoon if this doesn't happen with relative ease.) Keep stirring as a ragged, soft mass forms. Then use your fingers to gather and pat the dough together into a ball. Transfer to a work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth, fingertip-soft and slightly elastic. (You shouldn't need any additional flour on the work surface if the dough was properly made. Keep kneading, and after the first minute or two, the dough shouldn't stick to your fingers. If it does, work in a sprinkling of flour.) Press your finger into the dough; the dough should spring back, with a faint indentation remaining. 

4. Lightly oil a clean bowl and add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place to rise until nearly doubled, 30 to 45 minutes (timing will vary depending on the temperature of the room). The dough is now ready to use. 

5. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate the dough until needed.


Now for the filling:

I bought Filipino sausages called longanisa, you could also use char su, which is the BBQ Chinese Style Pork. Either of these are available in all Hawaiian Grocery stores, but it may take a trip to an Asian store depending on where you live. This can also be done with boneless chicken thighs. *Note some versions of these rolls have slices of hard boiled eggs in them. I am not a fan of hard boiled eggs, but if you are, that would be a traditional element.

Filling Ingredients:
2 # of Longanisa Sausage fried, drained and ground in a food processor. 
2 medium red onions or 4 shallots finely chopped
1 bunch of green onions chopped (including greens)
2" of ginger skinned and finely chopped1 large jalapeño seeded and chopped
6 cloves of garlic minced
1 cup raisins soaked in boiling water till soft, then drained. 
2-3 tablespoons canola oil


Sauce Ingredients: 
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/8 cup of water
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Salt, pepper, cayenne and lime juice to taste


Double recipe of dough

In a frying pan, add the canola oil and red onion/shallots, sauté for a minute, then find a hot spot and add the garlic. Stir. Add  jalapeño and green onions. Stir. Add raisins. Add sesame oil. In a bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients then pour into the pan and cook till sauce thickens (about 4 minutes.) You do not want too much liquid.

Prepare your steaming vessel. You can use almost any kind of steamer. Bamboo steamers are ideal for these, but I used a 4" hotel pan with a grate in the bottom. Layer the steamer with some parchment paper, but still allow some places for the steam to escape. You could also use banana or ti leaves instead of parchment. 

Roll your dough out into two 14" logs. Cover one with plastic wrap while you work with the other. Cut the log in half and then in half again and again until you have 16 pieces. Your can make the buns larger or smaller, but this was for medium appetizer sized buns. Roll out each piece into a flat disc, about 3-4" across. Place in the palm of your hand and add a generous spoon full of filling into the center. Do not push down on the filling, but close up the bun by pinching it together at the top. Follow this video lesson by Dumpling Queen, Andrea Nguyen. Lay the buns pinched side down on the parchment paper and cover the steamer being sure that the buns do not touch the cover.

Steam for about 20 minutes, slightly more if you are doing large buns, slightly less if you are doing tiny buns. Remove and allow to cool on a rack. These freeze really well, so once you have the technique down, make an extra batch or two and freeze them.

Eggplant Rollatini

Involtini di Melanzane con Salsiccia e Mozzarella to be exact! 

I had two big eggplants, some home made Italian sausages and lots of great herbs and tomatoes from the garden. I sent a note to my friend and fellow blogger Peter Francis Battaglia (whom I also call Saint Peter sometimes) asking him if he had a good rollatini recipe that did not require ricotta. He sent me one via messages on Facebook and I made it last night. I even had some for breakfast. I served it on spaghetti that was simply  tossed with butter, EVOO and some garlic. Here is the recipe pretty much as he sent it to me. I added just a couple of things in the mix.  This is a recipe that can be made *creatively* and you can easily increase the amounts if you want to. I had a little extra filling left, so I just stuffed it in around the rollatini before baking. FYI: I used 1 # of spicy sausage, removed from casings, 2 large eggplants and about 4-5 fresh ripe tomatoes. 

This takes a couple of hours to make, but it is not difficult and it is delicious, even better the next day and the day after! Well worth the time!

Saint Peter's Eggplant and Italian Sausage Rotalini

Involtini di Melanzane con Salsiccia e Mozzarell

Slice the eggplants longwise, and thin..make a francaise batter (2 eggs, 1/8 cup grated romano, fresh chopped parsley, fresh ground pepper), dredge the cutlets in seasoned flour with some fine panko crumbs, then the egg, then into 1/2 " of medium hot olive oil, about 3 minutes per side..drain on paper towels or a rack.

Saute the sausage in some olive oil, when almost done, add 1 sweet onion chopped finely, sauté for a minute. add 4 minced cloves of garlic, cook for a bit, then add 2 tbs. of wine, let this cook for 3 minutes..let it cool..add 1/2 cup small diced mozzarella, some chopped basil and parsley, 1/2 tsp. capers, 1 tbs. breadcrumbs, and 6 tbs. romano cheese, mix well.  Hold a cutlet in your hand and add a nice scoop to each of the cutlets. roll the cutlet around them. Secure with toothpicks.  

Make a sauce with chopped tomato, olive oil, diced onion, fresh parsley, some fennel seeds, salt, pepper...When it has cooked for 20 minutes...check for seasoning...Add a few basil leaves...in a pan, add some oil and sauce to the bottom, arrange the rollatini, pour the remaining sauce over, and cover with foil, bake in 350 for 25 minutes, uncover, add some chopped mozzarella and grated cheese, bake another 8 minutes uncovered till cheese is bubbly...

Polenta Crusted Onion Rings

Polenta Crusted Onion Rings 

Ingredients:

·         2 large Maui onions (or other sweet onions)

·         2 cups buttermilk

·         Teaspoon each seas salt and freshly ground black pepper 

·         1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (can be seasoned with garlic salt, allepo pepper and fresh cracked black pepper)

·         1/4 cup polenta (not instant)

·         1 quart vegetable oil

Method: 

Peel the onions, slice them between 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick, and separate them into rings. Combine the buttermilk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add the onion rings, toss well, and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes. (The onion rings can sit in the buttermilk for 1-3 hours.) In a separate bowl or container, combine the flour, polenta and the chosen seasonings. 

Set aside.

When you're ready to fry the onion rings, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F or heat your warming drawer on low. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

If you have it, a rack over a second baking sheet is a good thing for draining

Heat the oil to 375 degrees in a large pot or Dutch oven. (A candy thermometer attached to the side of the pot will help you maintain the proper temperature.) Working in batches, lift some onions out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour mixture. Drop into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, until golden brown, turning them once with tongs. Don't crowd them! Place the finished onion rings on the rack over the baking sheet sprinkle liberally with salt (I use smoked sea salt), once salted, moved to the paper towel lined pan and keep them warm in the oven while you fry the next batch. Continue frying the onion rings and placing them in the warm oven until all the onions are fried. They will remain crisp in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Serve hot. These are very good with chipotle mayonnaise (3-4 chipotles and 1 cup of good quality mayo purred in blender or food processor.)

Montreal Hilo Bagels

I love bagels. My favorite bagels come from Montreal, not New York. I have actually found that in the last 10 years or so most NY Bagels have taken on the "Supersize me" that has prevailed across America. They are much larger and puffier than they used to be and I believe that they have less texture and crumb. This was evidenced by my last trip to NY a few weeks ago. In Montreal the bagels are still baked in the simple old fashioned way that they were made in Poland. The secret of course is simplicity. They are baked in a wood burning oven there, but this can be replicated somewhat using a baking stone or hearth insert like I use. The recipe is below for you to use as you wish

I have another post about making bagels here in Hawaii that you might enjoy reading. Island Bagels. 

I think you will enjoy this video about my favorite bagel bakery in Montreal. 

Montreal bagels, however, are a different breed, chewy and tinged with a tantalizing sweetness. The real thing is still baked in wood ovens, which give the bagels an irregularly charred outer surface. These bagels shine, too, with a gloss that only a short swim in a bath of honey- or malt-sweetened water can impart. With no chemical additives or dough conditioners, these bagels stand out in taste and looks.

How bagels came to be this way in Montreal is difficult to determine. The recipe was no doubt modeled after the those brought by immigrant families, many of whom opened bagel stores that still exist in the old ethnic neighborhoods. Over time, Montrealers came to enjoy - and expect -bagels in this style, so the tradition continued.

Some people have another explanation. They point out that other cities prohibit wood-burning commercial ovens, because of the fire hazard. Such ovens burn continuously with an unregulated open flame -you can't turn them off, and you can't turn them down. So Montreal has the dubious distinction of having notable bagels and a less-than-stringent fire code.

Bagels are one of those foods that have a certain mystique about them. Because they are readily available in most every city now, people just buy them and never think about making them. However, if you have had TRULY amazing bagels like these before, baked in this style, you will find it nearly impossible to find them anywhere other than Montreal and hence you must make them at home or increase your frequent flyer miles many times over. I have to say that before I started making them myself, every trip to Montreal included a suitcase for the bagels I would run out to St. Viateur Bakery and buy fresh from  the morning of our departure. If you live on the mainland, you can order them online from St. Viateur. Technology is amazing, really. But if you live in Hawaii like me, you are going to have to learn to make them, do without or drop by on baking day.

One note about sweeteners: Professional bakers once relied on honey, since it carries its own characteristic bouquet. Over the years, the price of honey has increased, so now many bakeries use light or dark malt syrup (available in some health-food stores and in those that stock beer-making supplies). Still, you should use honey in the formula and then add the malt syrup to the water. Here in Hawaii we have an abundance of wonderful local honey and the malt syrup has to be shipped in, so honey is preferred and actually about the same cost.

Note about toppings: You can saute finely chopped onions or garlic and add to the top of these as I did, though then they are not authentic Montreal Style. You could also incorporate cheese or sun dried tomatoes if you want American Style. That is not my style though.

MONTREAL STYLE  BAGELS

Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes but I find the flavor is better if you retard the fermenting process by refrigerating the dough. If you want to take this extra step, make  the dough at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours before you plan on baking them. 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups water, room temperature 
2 packages dry quick-rising yeast (or 1 1/2 ounces fresh yeast) 
1 teaspoon sugar 
2 1/2 teaspoons salt 
1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk 
1/4 cup olive oil 
1/2 cup honey 
5 cups or more flour (preferably bread flour) 
3 quarts water for boiling 
1/3 cup honey or malt syrup 
Sesame or poppy seeds for sprinkling on top. These are the only toppings seen in Montreal, but of course if you like onions or garlic or anything else, they can be added instead of the seeds or in combination with them. 

Method: 
1.In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer that has a dough hook, blend together the water, yeast, sugar and salt. Stir in the whole egg, the yolk, oil and 1/2 cup honey, and mix well.

2.Add the 5 cups flour, and mix until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface (if using electric mixer, attach dough hook), and knead to form a soft, supple dough. Add a bit more flour as needed to prevent dough from getting too sticky. It should be tacky, but not sticky. 

3.When the dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap or with a plastic bag.

4.Let the dough rest about 20 minutes. Punch it down, and divide into 18 equal portions. Pour the water into a large pot, along with the remaining 1/3 cup honey or malt syrup, and heat to boiling. Cover, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer while preparing the bagels.

5.Shape the dough portions into bagels or doughnutlike rings by elongating each portion into an 8- to 10-inch coil that is 3/4 inch thick. Fold the ends over each other, pressing with the palm of one hand and rolling back and forth gently to seal. This locks the ends together and must be done properly or the bagels will open while being boiled. Let the bagels rest 15 minutes on a baking sheet with parchment or silpat. 

6.Preheat oven to 550 degrees. If you have a pizza stone pre-heat it in the oven.  Bring the water back to a boil and remove the lid. Have bowls of poppy seeds and sesame seeds nearby.

7.When the water is boiling, use a slotted spoon, and add three bagels to the water. As they rise to the surface, turn them over, and let them boil an additional minute before removing them and quickly apply the seeds or other toppings. Continue boiling the bagels in batches of three until all have been boiled and seeded.

8.Just before baking, turn the temperature down to 450 degrees. Arrange the boiled bagels on a baking sheet, and bake on the lowest rack of oven until they are medium brown, approximately 25 minutes. Or using a peel covered with semolina, place the bagels directly onto a pre-heated pizza stone and bake in batches. Allow the oven to regain some of the temperature lost before adding the 2nd batch. Remove from the oven. Once cooled, the bagels can be placed in a plastic bag, sealed and frozen.

Yield: 18 bagels. NOTE: If not using the dough immediately, refrigerate it after it has been kneaded. Bagel making can be resumed up to a day later. Allow the dough to return to room temperature, and continue with step 4.

Kona Brew with the ACF!

On May 5th I went to the AFC Kona Kohala Chef's Association Chapter Meeting at the Kona Brewing Company. While all AFC meetings are fun, this one is annually the best attended and now I know why. It is not just the great hand crafted local beers that are a draw, the food was also fantastic and the camaraderie of the Chefs and food industry people made for a terrific afternoon on the other side of the island.


Kona Brewery has an outstanding sustainability policy, employing a full time Sustainability Coordinator to source local goods and implement their recycling and energy policies. Most of the spent grain used in the brewing is given to a local cattle rancher and what is not is used in the Pub's pizza dough and breads. They are embarking on a new solar system that will be able to power the entire operation. Even the leftover food scraps are given to a local pig farmer. All to go containers and the cups used at festivals are bio-degradable. Even the condensation water (90 gallons a day) from their air conditioning system is collected and used for the landscaping. 

Culinary Students 

Brewery Tour

Ready for pizza!

The Menu

First Course Hummus Plate 

The first beer, my favorite, the new Oceanic Organic Saison (Belgian Style) with Chef/Restauranteur Daniel Thiebaut in glass. The beer was paired with the Hualalai Hummis

Local Spinach and Strawberry Salad was paired with 

The Cheeseburger Pizza was paired with Fire Rock Pale Ale

 The Puna Pie was paired with Black Sand Porter. This was a very cheesy pizza and included local Puna Goat Cheese. 

Also featured, but not shown here were Perperoni Ali'i Pizza paired with Castaway IPA, Thai Chicken Pizza paired with Coco Loco Coconut Ale and for Dessert~ Pipeline Porter Float made with Tahihtian Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. And we got to keep the pint glasses! 

 Chef/Restauranteur Daniel Thiebaut was made an Honorary Member of the ACF Kona Kohala Chef's Association. 

Our next event is an Avocado Tasting and Luncheon Menu featuring Avocados at the Four Seasons with Chef James Babian on Wed. June 2nd. Member and tropical fruit expert Ken Love will be presenting the Avocado Tasting/Educational element.