Mr. Lee's Dimsum Recipes
- No matter fluid or solid a dough may be, the average amount of flour to use is about 1/2 cup per person --- for example, use 2 cups of flour for 4 people. Of course, this is subject to change according to the appetite of the people who are going to be served. After measuring, sift flour carefully into a large container.
- Make a well in the middle. Add water to it slowly, stirring with a for or chopsticks. You can put 1 tablespoon of lard in to make the dough smooth and shiny.
- Keep adding water till the flour turns into small lumps.
- Flour your hands lightly. What follows is hand work.
- Hand work is the literal meaning of kneading and rubbing the lumps into a dough.
- Soak a piece of clean gauze or cheesecloth in water, then wring it dry.
- Cover the dough with the wet gauze. Let stand for 20-25 minutes. This step is called Hsing-Mein, or (to let the dough wake up). The purpose is to let the flour become completely moistened by the water.
- If you want the pastries to be very elastic, remember to apply the hand work of kneading, pulling, and pushing, whether it is a leavened or scalded dough.
- If you don't want your pastries to be very elastic, apply the method of pressing and cutting as frequently as possible.
- The longer you knead, pull, and press, the smoother and more tender the pastry dough will be. Otherwise it will feel grainy and rough.
- If you are a greenhorn at making food with flour, adding the correct amont of water might be a problem. If the dough is too wet to knead, just put some flour to one side and add little by little while kneading till the dough is moderately soft.
- If the dough is too dry and is hard to knead, just cut it open or make some cuts on it, sprinkle on some water, and knead. Repeat until the dough is firm enough.
- Keep kneading the dough until very smooth; then you can start making pastries. If you are not in a hurry to do so, just cover it with a piece of wet cloth.
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