SWEET POTATO VEGETABLE PAUS

Paus are good substitute for bread as breakfast for my family.  The first thing that comes to mind about paus is, 'Oh, paus are sweet' but it is not so.  It can be savoury, sweet or a mixture.  When looking at some pau recipes, I realised that paus with sweet fillings have less sugar in the skin dough and vice versa.

This is recipe an example but I reduced the sugar in the skin dough by more than 50% even though the filling used is savoury.   It is as tasty and turns out well too.  Moreover, the sweet potatoes do contribute some percentage of sweetness to it. These paus are for home consumption and the health aspect has to be taken into consideration, otherwise we might as well buy them from the stalls.
Made these for my MIL during the recent Winter Solstice Festival together with the Peach Longevity Paus

Verdict - these paus are soft, moist and naturally coloured by orange sweet potatoes.  The savoury filling blends well with the pau skin.  The pau stays soft even on the next day.  

Recipe Source - Y3K Cookbook 'Paus' by Coco Kong [modified]

Ingredients for the Filling

200 gm cabbage - finely shredded

200 gm yambean - peeled and finely shredded

100 gm carrot - finely shredded

100 gm long beans or french beans - finely sliced

1 tbsp oil

2 tsp cornflour + 50 ml water

Seasoning

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

3 tsp light soy sauce

2 tsp mushroom seasoning

1. Heat oil in wok, fry the cut vegetables [except long beans/french beans] together with the seasoning until well mixed.
2. Cover to cook until vegetables are soft then add in the beans.  Fry until cooked through. Taste to adjust seasoning.
3. Stir in thickening and mix well until filling is thick and not too wet.  Dish up and cool before use [can prepare this earlier and refrigerate].

Ingredients for Pau Skin 

[dough weighs about 600 gm - makes 16 medium size paus]

280 gm pau flour
1 tsp double action baking powder
40 gm icing sugar [original recipe uses 100 gm]
160 gm orange sweet potato [peeled, steamed and mashed]
2 tsp instant yeast
120 ml water [more or less depends on sweet potato paste]
20 gm shortening

1. Mix all ingredients together well [except water and shortening].  Gradually add in the water [stop adding once it forms a rough dough].  Continue to knead until the dough is soft otherwise add a little more water.  The dough maybe sticky and difficult to handle if too much water is added.
2. Knead until well combined, then add in the shortening.  Knead until dough is soft and smooth.  Shape into a ball and cover to rest for 30 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 16 equal portions.  Shape into balls, then flatten each into circles with the edges thinner that the centre.
4. Wrap filling with each dough circles, gather the edges, seal well and shape into pleated or round [use a pincer to create the design] paus.  Place on paper cases.  
5. Leave to proof for 40-45 minutes from making of the last pau.
6. Steam over rapid boiling water for 10-12 minutes.  Off heat, leave paus in the steamer for 2-3 minutes before uncovering.  
7. Serve immediately or cool on wire rack.
   
   

I'm submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event #19 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours