2019 is the Year of the Pig, and it is the last of the 12 Zodiac animals.
Chinese New Year is all about food and it is the time for Chinese families to be together and have a reunion dinner with traditional food like dumplings, buns and rice cakes.
Watch this video and try to make Chinese style steamed buns shaped as pigs at home.
Ingredients:
340g flour (about 3 cups)
170g milk (about 3/4 cups)
30g sugar (about 2 tablespoons)
4g dry yeast (about 1.5 teaspoons)
Red bean paste (1 can)
Pink food coloring
Directions:
1. Mix flour, milk, sugar, and dry yeast into a dough.
2. Knead until the dough looks and feels soft and smooth (15-20 minutes).
3. Divide dough into 9 small balls, 45g each (about the size of a billiard ball).
4. Set aside remaining dough.
5. Wrap a tablespoon of red bean paste in each ball, seal and shape them nicely.
6. Rest in warm place for 45 minutes.
7. Add a few small drops of pink food coloring to remaining dough – knead until fully blended.
8. Roll the pink dough into one flat piece about 1/4 inch thick.
9. Use a pastry bag tip to cut 9 small round pieces in the pink dough, set aside.
10. Cut 9 small square pieces (about 2” square), then cut them diagonally into 18 triangles.
11. Fold triangles into pig ears.
12. Take round pieces, and puncture two small holes using a chopstick to make pig noses.
13. Assemble and decorate.
14. Draw eyes using melted chocolate.
15. Steam over boiling water for 15 minutes.
16. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
See how we made the “pig” featured in this video: