Lai Wong Bao (custard Bun)

First I would like to say a big thank you for a great recipe. I've made this a few times with very good results, and that being said, I made the following changes: I let the yeast proof with the sugar and warm water for 10 minutes until foamy. I then mixed it with the salt/flours and substituted the shortening for melted, cooled butter (that's all I had) in a stand mixer, until it formed a ball on the dough hook. I then removed from the bowl and knead until smooth, putting in a lightly oiled bowl and letting it rise for an hour, covered with a damp cloth. After the dough had risen, I had turned out onto a floured surface, knead the dough before portioning out into 12 pieces. I rolled the balls into flat round discs, making sure that the edges are thinner than the center. I spooned in the cooled custard (or you can use a piping bag) and pinched the edges together to form what looks like a blossom on the top. I placed them on squares of parchment paper, letting them rest under a damp cloth for 15 minutes, before steaming them for 10 minutes. The results were great. The custard will thicken without added cornstarch, as another reviewer said. Just cook the custard after adding the egg, on med-low, stirring constantly to avoid large clumps. The custard will be thick as requried.

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Just like in the dim sum restaraunts! I searched 6 different stores where i live and could not find wheat starch so i used arrowroot. i also searched those same 6 stores for custard powder and could not find any. So for a substitute i used organic vanilla pudding mix, not the instant but the cook one. I found this same recipe on another site and it called for 100g caster sugar in the custard, so I added that in since these are usually sweet. The custard WILL be too watery if you follow the recipe to a T. After you add the egg the custard just needs to cook longer until it thickens, it will not thicken enough after it cools. The custard needs to be thick enough to wrap dough around and not leak out. My custard was thick enough to shape into a ball and kinda hold its shape. After i steamed the buns for 10 min the custard had a perfect consistancy. So it doesn't need cornstarch added, it just needs to cook longer. Thank you for posting this delicious recipe!

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Rating is for the custard only. Ultimately, the custard turned out rather tasty, but I had to add a LOT of corn flour to thicken the custard as it was very watery. I did use wheat starch, and I added about 3 tbsps of sugar to make it a little sweet. Upon realizing that the custard was not going to thicken even after cooling, I made a little cornstarch slurry, put the saucepan back on the burner, and used a handheld electric whisk to ensure that all lumps were whisked away. I would make this again, except that I would either reduce the milk a little or add the slurry. Thank you for posting.

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thanks for posting this hard-to-find recipe! I didn't have "wheat starch" so used arrowroot flour instead, and added a couple tablespoons of sugar to the custard. my DH likes sweeter desserts, so i sprinkled just a little cinnamon sugar on the cooked buns, and they were perfect--tho not so authentic.

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