Making grandpa's Shandong Meat & Veg Bun

When i lived with my grandpa, he often make this bun, have it on the side with my rice at dinner time, it was very yummy, but one was just enough.
 
Its Shandong meat & veg bun.... because it was what grandpa named it, and i think the unique is in the filling. You can buy normall meat & veg buns now, some you can panfry or steam. This one is home bun.
Anyway, grandpa is from the North China from a place in Shandong. Northern Chinese people staple diet is wheat, so lots of noodles, and bread.  Whereas, grandma is from Southern China.... and rice is the main staple.
So you can see i grew up with a compromise of North/South diet, usually daytime is noodles, night time is rice, or bit of both combo.
But i also had the fun of my parents taking me out for Western food. So food is very exciting when i was a kid.

So....it has been 20 years since i last had this bun, but really want to have it again. Making this bun gave me the driving force in baking.  I did ask my dad to teach me, but he often say 'oh its lots of hardwork, don't bother'. He is a chef, so day off in kitchen at home is last thing on his mind.
But my stubborn nature, made me want to quest further and find a way to achieve it. 

Today is the day, after so many weeks of experimenting bun making, and a few days looking at 2 recipe books,  I am going to make my grandpa's Shandong Meat & Veg bun. In doing so i have adapted bits of the 2 recipes and with help from my grandma, and my vague memory of what i think i grandpa did, and just cross fingers it would work.

First was the dough, mix it in a bowl until it form a dough, covered it with cling film and set aside to let it rise for 1hr.
However, the recipe for the bun said use cold water, but after this i think next time i will use warm water to form the dough instead. My instinct just felt cold water is not right. 

Filling was pretty simple, asked my mum for some glass vermicelli, and some cloud ear (dried funghi called Wan Yee), and i got the pork mince & chinese cabbage. Everything was fined chopped, then mix well with a basic marinade. Then pop it in the fridge for 20minutes.

1hr came, time to get the dough ready, from kneading it,  because i have doubled my recipe, i split my dough in 4, and work with one quarter each time. Again, giving it a good kneading on the not soo big wooden chopping board, then rolling it out into sauasge shape to split it in 10 equals. Then get my first little dough, dust some flour and roll it with the rolling pin in to a circle shape.  I try to imitate what my grandpa and my mum do, roll up and when down swirvel the dough with my fingers.... hard it is... i ended up doing what i got taught in home economics..haha.  Just more practice.  Once i knead a few into circles, its now getting the filling into the pastry and bun wrap it.  Need to try and manipulate your fingers, and swivel the bun round until you close the bun up. I did attempted the bun wrapping instructed in the recipe book, but i really thought my buns just dont look that great!
So as i carry on, i resorted to the circle on the board, put some filling, whilst trying to fold it to try and get a 6 petal shape at top. Then make sure underneath each bun to have some greaseproof paper, so it would not stick on the plate.

Anyway, because i don't have the steamer where my mum use on the stove... and my electrical steamer is far too small... will take ages to steam.... so used the next best thing - my wok with a sprong inside so started steaming 5 at a time for 15 mins.  

First batch was done....always tasting for Ken and me.  Ken really enjoyed it, and be honest from my heart it did taste good, the dough wasnt to sweet or too salty, the filling had the homey aroma - the smell of shaohsing wine & sesame oil. Being perfectionist, i felt the appearance - first impression dont look appetising..... so thats one thing i definitely can improve with more practice, secondly, think next time i need to use different brand of flour.... or a more refined sugar, as i feel the bun pastry taste and felt abit too lumpy.  Lastly, i am little disappointed in myself that once making these buns... i realise my memory of the appearance of the buns grandpa made is very vague. 
So conscious of it,  i boxed up the buns, one lot for my parents, one lot for my grandma.... after dinner i drove all the way to deliver the buns, and let them see and taste it.  My sis says it taste really nice, and a familiar taste. Mum just said well done.  But grandma is the crucial judge..... but she is always nice or diplomatic.... she looked at it, praise me for doing a good job being able to make it.  I obviously question what her first impression, and she said it looked very close to what grandpa did... and it will look even better next time. 

After chatting to grandma, think all doubt was clear from my mind..... what most important is that i delivered what i said i would do, i went and did the research,  think about it and got my hands dirty to make it and able to share it with my family. They can have it for breakfast, and also experience an long lost taste after 20 years. 
I hope if grandpa is looking down in heaven will smile and be proud. Jian Ban!