Cha Siu Bao

When I was a teenager I attempted making cha siu bao from scratch. It was a full day task and after all that effort they came out terrible. Full of long scallion pieces (which should have been a warning sign in the recipe to me). Baba found the best frozen variety and I never tried again. But it's hard to find a good one here so I decided to try this again, but this time starting with store bought cha siu. Neither of these recipes is perfect, but it's a starting point to try to figure out what to tweak to get it better for next time.

Red House Spice Recipe - ** - 14 buns
27 Jan 2026 - I started with this one because the dough was quick to make. However, the filling was way too goopy. After filling 4 buns, I chopped up a lot more pork and tossed it in. The recipe asked for 130g of cha siu, but it needed about 200 g for the amount of sauce. I ran out of grapeseed oil part way, so subbed in less than 1 T olive oil. I used regular flour instead of cake flour (perhaps the dough would have been better with cake flour). But in the end, the bread was not sweet like I think a cha siu bao should be, so I would not use this dough recipe again. The folds also all disappeared into each other while sitting to rise. The filling tasted too salty, but then when compared to the next recipe, XBD thought this filling was better. My judgement is reserved for when I do a side by side taste test (I put some of each batch in the freezer to compare later). However, I do like that the shallot (which I used instead of onion) was used just to flavor the sauce, but was not kept in.

Woks of Life Recipe - *** - 10 large buns
28 Jan 2026 - This dough was a pleasure to work with, came out much fluffier and cracked closer to a restaurant style one. It was noticeably sweeter than the first recipe (which makes sense since it has 5 T of sugar instead of just 2). The buns came out huge! I would divide into 12-14 next time instead of just 10, just to have a smaller size. I also couldn't fit in all the filling. The filling still came out too salty. Try reducing the salty items (soy, oyster and/or chicken stock?).

Next attempt

- woks of life dough
- no onion/shallot in filling (only use to flavor the sauce)
- less saltiness
- less sauce:pork ratio
- improve flavor - figure out what is missing or too much

Cranberry Sauce

As a kid, watching cranberry sauce come out of a tin and hold its shape was completely unappetizing, so I never cared for it. But this year I saw some fresh cranberries in the local store so tried to make it from scratch. With reduced sugar, it was still really sweet, but was a nice accompaniment to the turkey drumsticks and the brisket for Thanksgiving dinners. The bags are sold in 250 g units here so I adjusted the recipe accordingly. This makes quite a lot so could halve the recipe next time for a single bag.

• 
  500 g fresh cranberries (2 bags at Jumbo)
  
• scant 1 c sugar (4/5 c?)
• scant 1/2 c brown sugar (1/3 c?)
• scant 1/2 c water
• 1 c fresh squeezed orange juice
• optional: cinnamon

1. In a small pot, heat sugars, water and OJ. Dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil.
2. Add in cranberries. Bring to simmer and stir occasionally for 10-15 minutes, until most of the cranberries have burst. Continue simmering until reduced to desired consistency. (It will further thicken after cooling).
3. Transfer to bowl and let cool for at least 20 min.
4. Transfer to containers. Store in fridge until ready to use.

Chicken Stew

Wanted a thicker soup instead of a brothy one. This fit the bill. Served with buttermilk biscuits.

• 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced 1" 
  
  
  
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 5 T flour
• 1/2 t dried rosemary
• 1/2 t dried thyme
• 1/4 t ground sage
• 1.5 c diced potatoes
• 1.5 c diced sweet potato
• 1/4 c white wine
• 4 c chicken broth
• 1 c green beans (or frozen peas)

1. In Dutch oven, brown chicken in 1 T oil. (Next time try in batches.) Does not have to be cooked through. Transfer to bowl.
2. Add remaining 1 T oil. Saute onions, carrot and celery until onions are softened (3 min).
3. Stir in 3 T flour and seasoning. Cook over medium heat 2 min.
4. Add potatoes, sweet potato, wine, broth and chicken. Bring to boil.
5. Cover and simmer 30 min.
6. Remove lid and add green beans. Cook for 10 min. Thicken with cornstarch slurry (or flour slurry if you might freeze leftovers). 2 T flour + 1 c broth/water - ensure no lumps

Buttermilk Biscuits

The freezer trick works really great. Kids loved them.

• 
  1 c buttermilk/karne melk (or 1 T lemon juice plus remainder lactose free milk) 
  
• 8 T butter (113 g = 1/2 c)
• 2 c flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 t baking soda 
• 2 t baking powder
• 3/4 t salt 

1. Preheat oven to 450F/230C.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. Place buttermilk in freezer for 10 min while preparing other ingredients.
4. Microwave butter, covered, for 30 seconds and then 10 sec increments until melted.
5. Whisk dry ingredients in large bowl.
6. Pour butter into chilled milk and stir. Butter will solidify into small pieces.
7. Add buttermilk mixture to bowl and stir until flour is incorporated and dough pulls away from side of bowl. Dough should be stiff (not wet).
8. Knead 5-6 times on generously floured counter. Flip and then shape into 6" square, 1.5-2" height. 
9. Cut 8 biscuit shapes (2.5" round or free form). Place on parchment paper.
10. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 8-18 min.
11. Optional: brush tips with 1 T melted butter

Related

• Drop biscuits - no shaping
• Angel biscuits - with yeast 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I used to make this in college in the dorm kitchen regularly. I often used 3 pre-baked pie crusts in the little 9" tins, which require much less baking time than a full size cheesecake. I forgot to account for that this time around and overbaked them, but they're still edible.

• pre-made crust(s)
• 1.5 c sugar
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 4-8oz pkg cream cheese (900 g = 9 mon chou pkgs)
• 3 T flour
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1.25 t ginger
• 1/4 t cloves
• 4 eggs
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1 T vanilla

1. Beat sugars with cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add flour and spices and beat.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth.
4. Add in pumpkin and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
5. Pour into crisped crust (1 9" springform or 3 8" tins). Bake at 325F for 1 hour (springform) or 25-35 min for short tins. 
6. Cool gradually to prevent cracking - let heat out of oven slowly, then slowly cool on counter before refrigerating for hours to set. If cracked, cover with whipped cream.

Notes

- European crust (instead of graham cracker crust)

Gan Bian Si Ji Dou

DBD started liking this dish last year. This is my second attempt at making it. Still needs improving, but ok as is.

• vegetable oil
• green beans (400-500 g)
• salt
• 115 g pork
• 1/4 t sichuan peppercorns
• 3 dried chilis
• +3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t ginger, minced
• 1 T shaoxing wine
• 1 T soy sauce
• splash dark soy sauce (optional)
• ~1 t sugar

1. Wash beans. Break off rough end. Dry thoroughly.
2. Heat 1 T oil on medium-high in large skillet. Layer beans, without overlap, and fry for 6-8 minutes, flipping every 15-20 seconds. Beans should start to brown and wither. If pan starts to smoke, turn down heat to medium. Move to plate.
3. Add pork and sichuan peppers to empty pan and cook until surface of pork is cooked.
4. Add the chilis, garlic and ginger. Stir until aromatic.
5. Add the beans, and stir for a few seconds.
6. Add the remaining ingredients (wine, soy(s), sugar). Stir until beans absorb sauce, about 1-2 minutes.
7. Salt to taste.

Mini Brownie Cheesecakes

These were easy small servings for a party. Big hit with everyone, but I'd rather just a brownie or just a cheesecake. Would still try again to be sure. Makes 12 muffin size treats. Used Mon Chou cream cheese blocks, 100 g each.

• 
  BROWNIE LAYER
  
• 1/4 c butter (56 g)
• 1/4 c bittersweet chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet and reduced sugar) (1.5 oz)
• 1/2 c sugar (100 g)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 t vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 c flour
• CHEESECAKE LAYER
• 16 oz/455 g cream cheese, softened to room temp
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1 t vanilla

1. Melt chocolate and butter in small saucepan, stirring until smooth.
2. Remove from heat and add 1/2 c sugar.
3. Add egg and 1/2 t vanilla. Stir until smooth.
4. Fold in salt and flour.
5. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Divide brownie batter evenly between cups.
6. Bake 350F until brownies are just about set, about 10 min.
7. Beat cream cheese, egg, 1/3 c sugar, and 1 t vanilla until smooth.
8. Spoon over brownie bottoms.
9. Bake 350F until tops appear dry and centers barely jiggle when shaken, about 12-15 min.
10. Let cups cool slowly and completely, about 1 hour at room temp. Chill in fridge to firm up.