Chee Soon Hoong, who hails from Malaysia, has been eating dim sums as far back into his childhood as he can remember. So it’s no surprise that after 20 years as a chef, he flaunts the title Dim Sum Master. With a festival around the dish planned at China XO, The Leela Palace Chennai later this month, he takes the time to dispel the notion that there’s anything complicated about it by breaking down each step. “Dim sums come in so many varieties, they can be baked, fried, poached, steamed, pan-fried and work as a dessert too,” relates the culinary expert who, since his move to Chennai a year ago, has also been going gung-ho over a good appam.
Here’s the art of making the perfect ‘snow bun’ from the master himself. We’re not sure about snow, but from the looks of this one — it’s raining ingredients!
Snow Buns with barbeque chicken
Ingredients
For the Dough
Refined flour 230 grams | Caster sugar 60 grams | Ghee 55 grams | Dry yeast 3 grams | Milk 120 grams | Baking powder 4 grams | Egg 1
For the Chicken
Chicken leg (boneless) 150 gms | Five spice powder 10 gms | Caster sugar 25 gms | Shallots 10 gms | Chopped garlic 10 gms | Dark soy 15 gms | Salt 7 gms | Chicken broth powder 5 gms
For the Snow Cream
Refined flour | 100 gms | Caster sugar 20 gms |
Ghee 25 gms | Milk powder 10 gms
For the dough
Add all the ingredients in the dough mixer and knead
to form a soft dough. Keep it aside for 20 minutes.
For the filling
Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients for
2 hours. Roast the chicken in a combi oven at a temperature of 170 degree for 20 minutes. Cool down the chicken and chop it after cooling.
For the Snow Cream
Add all the ingredients in a stainless steel bowl and
mix well until it forms a creamy texture.
To make the Snow Buns
■ Take the dough and make balls of 30 gms each,
roll the dough balls with the roller and add the
chicken filling inside.
■ Let the buns rise for 20 minutes.
■ Pre-heat the combi oven at 180 degree for 5 minutes.
■ Place the buns on the baking tray and pour the cream on top
of it and bake for
8 minutes.
■ Serve hot.
The Dim Sum festival at China XO, Leela Palace Chennai is on from August 18 to September 3.