Chinese style steamed buns with Lop Cheung, a cantonese Chinese sausage.
Chinese sausages (lop cheung in Cantonese and Lap Chong in mandarin) are quite versatile in Chinese cooking. The easiest way is to steam with rice, use as part of stir fry dishes or fried in basic Chinese fried rice. In China, sausages differ from tastes and ingredients. In Sichuan, sausages are smoked with spices and Sichuan pepper. Sausages in Cantonese cuisine are naturally dried with a slightly touch of sweet taste.
It is always a great idea to match Chinese sausages with rice and flour. After cooking, the oil carries the unique taste of the sausage and further flavoring rice and flour.
Ingredients for 6 sausage buns
2 cups all purpose flour
125ml water or 150ml milk (3.5% fat)
2 tsp. instant yeast
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar (optional)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil (optional)
3 lop cheung
In a stand mixer, mix all the ingredients for 9-12 minutes with hook and low speed until get a elastic, smooth and soft dough. Shape it to a large ball and cover with wet cloth. Set aside for proofing (around 1 hour).
When the dough is about 1.5 times in size, transfer out and re-knead until smooth in surface again (key step to smooth surface). You can finish use the slowest speed of stand mixer and mix for 2 minutes until it turns smooth again.
Prepare your well kneaded dough and pre-cleaned Lop Cheung. Break the lop Cheung into halves.
Divide the dough into 6 portions and then shape each one into a long strip (around 30cm long with smaller ends).
Then wrap the strip around the sausage. Finis all of them and place on baking papers (cut into 10cm long and 5 cm wide).
Then place in steamer, covered and set aside for 15 -20 minutes for second proofing. Steam 20 minutes over high fire after the water boils. Enjoy when still warm.
If you make a larger batch, you can freeze the steamed buns after cooled down completely.
Steamed Sausage Buns (Lop Cheung Buns)
Ingredients
- 2 cup all purpose flour
- 125 ml water , or 150ml milk, 3.5% fat
- 2 tsp. instant yeast
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp. of sugar , optional
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil , optional
- 3 lop cheung
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, mix all the ingredients for 9-12 minutes with hook and low speed until get a elastic, smooth and soft dough. Shape it to a large ball and cover with wet cloth. Set aside for proofing (around 1 hour).
- When the dough is about 1.5 times or double in size, transfer out and re-knead until smooth in surface again (key step to smooth surface). You can finish use the slowest speed of stand mixer and mix for 2 minutes until it turns smooth again.
- Prepare your well kneaded dough and pre-cleaned Lop Cheung. Break the lop Cheung into halves.Divide the dough into 6 portions and then shape each one into a long strip (around 30cm long with smaller ends). Then wrap the strip around the sausage. Finis all of them and place on baking papers (cut into 10cm long and 5 cm wide).
- Place in steamer, covered and set aside for 15 -20 minutes for second proofing. Steam 20 minutes over high fire after the water boils. Enjoy when still warm. If you make a larger batch, you can freeze the steamed buns after cooled down completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Jane
Does the sausage cook in the steamer, or do you pre-cook the sausage before rolling it?
Elaine
Jane,
There is no need to cook the sausage previously. They can be cooked with the steaming process.
David
Enjoyed your recipe, then I tried it with dough made with starter instead of yeast. It tasted very similar to what I used to get in NY China Town. Will use your recipe when time is short and mine when I have a day's notice.
Keep your recipes and videos coming.
David
Thank you for a great recipe, It was easy to make, I did use a wild yeast version of the dough but followed your ratios. Everyone raved about it.
Elaine
Thanks David.
Helen G
What does pre-cleaned Lop Cheung mean? I would like to make this. I have bought Lop Cheung a few weeks ago, Do I cook it first and skin it? please advice.
Elaine
Wash your Lop Cheung with warm water at least 2 times.
Natalie
This recipe is legit. I don’t need to go to my local gas station or 7-11 to get my lop cheung.
Elaine
Ture, Natalie! Homemade food is always satisfying.
Alice
Hi! I made this recipe twice and both times my daughter asks me to make more before she even finishes them!
But both times the dough with 2 cups of flour always is too dry and I end up adding more water gradually while kneading, about 1/4 cup more. On my third time, I used 1.5 cups of flour and still had to add about 2 TBS of water. Is that normal or am I doing something wrong? Im in SoCal if that matters, its a dryer climate. Thank you!!
Elaine
Climate might be a problem, but the more possible reason is your flour. The protein content is too high. You can read the label on the package. More protein content need more water. No struggling, just add more water to make the dough properly soft.
Beatrice Yuen
My 1st time to try this lap Cheung recipe and I followed exactly your amount of ingredients but the bread dough was really dry and I had to add more water to make it a bit smoother.
My lap cheung buns after steaming, the surface turned out very wrinkled and deflated. The bun texture is ok not dense.
Could you tell me what did I do wrong?
Elaine
Beatrice,
Your dough needs more kneading!!
Christian
Is there any benefit to using bread flour over AP flour?
Elaine
Christian,
Bread flour is not a good option for steamed buns.