Known in Mandarin as 寿桃包 shòutáo bao (“shòu” – longevity; táo – peach), these little buns are the cutest thing ever in my books! Traditional Chinese folklore dating from the Ming Dynasty loves to incorporate the stories of Taoist immortals and gods interspersed with everyday objects. Who would have thought that the common peach fruit would become synonymous with auspiciousness?
I remembered my excursions to Chinese restaurants during special occasions like Lunar New Year, birthdays, or weddings. At the end of the six or eight course meal, there would always be a plate of steamed longevity peach buns served with a sweet soup for dessert. In fact, if you’ve noticed, artistic representations of the Chinese deity Shou Xing (god of longevity shòu 寿) often depict him as an old bearded man with a high brow and crooked staff, holding a peach of immortality in his other hand. Often times, there would also be a bottle gourd filled with the elixir of life, a stork or turtle added for special blessing. Shou Xing is always portrayed alongside two other deities, Fu Xing and Lu Xing; together they are called “Fu Lu Shou” meaning fortune (fú 福), prosperity (lù 禄) and longevity (shòu 寿).
Longevity Peach Steamed Buns with Pandan Kaya Filling
Ingredients
- 150 g all purpose flour sifted; more for dusting
- 150 g cake flour sifted
- 3 g instant yeast
- 50 g sugar I used stevia instead
- A pinch of salt
- 1/4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 125 ml cold milk more for kneading
- beetroot powder, or red gel food colouring
- matcha powder, or green gel food colouring
- 300 g pandan kaya filling or other sweet filling; store in the fridge or freezer to firm it up first
Instructions
- Place all ingredients (except food colouring and sweet filling) into a stand mixer with dough hook attachments. Knead the dough on high until it’s soft and less sticky, about 5 minutes. If it’s too wet or sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time; if it’s dry, add milk.
- Dust your table lightly with flour. Pinch 30g of dough for the leaves, then divide the remainder into 10 equal portions. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten for easier shaping later.
- Roll the 10 pieces of dough into balls, then using your finger, lightly press down the middle to create a small hole in the center. Add the filling which has already been shaped into round balls slightly smaller in size than your main dough.
- Once the filling is in, gather the sides to enclose the bun and pinch to seal the seam. Flip the bun seam side down, then shape it into a peach with your fingers.
- Use a toothpick or chopstick to make vertical indentations in the middle of the bun.
- Once all the buns are done, place them on individual silicon paper then cover with a dry cloth to avoid them drying out.
- In a bowl, mix a drop or two of red colouring in 1 tsp of water to dilute then using your fingers or a small brush, gently brush the colouring onto the top or middle of the buns. Avoid rubbing or over brushing as this will make the surface of the buns too wet and wrinkled when you steam them.
- Drop some green colouring onto the 30g dough to make the leaves. Cut out the leaf shapes then wet them lightly with water to attach to the buns.
- Let the buns proof in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour. The proofed buns will expand slightly. Don’t overproof.
- Prepare your steamer; wrap the lid with cloth to stop condensation dripping onto the buns. Once the water is boiling on medium heat, place the buns into the steamer with 1 inch space in between, then lower the heat slightly. Steam for 10 minutes.
- Let buns cool on a cooling rack to avoid the bottoms getting soggy.
Notes
- If you’ve overproofed your buns (the buns have doubled in size and widened on the sides), fret not. Place them in steamer as usual but leave the lid open with a 1/4 gap for steam to escape. The buns will not wrinkle and collapse.
- Best practices for storage: I don’t like to put them directly into the fridge or freezer without any protection as foods tend to absorb fridge smells from other foods stored within the same space. I recommend wrapping them individually with plastic cling wrap, then place into freezer ziplock bags. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!
