Sweet Potato Hee Pan

Thank you Hakka Chan for the recipe!
If you'd like to visit her blog with this recipe, here is the link to Hakka Chan.

The recipe for  Hee Pan. As usual, I did a little alteration to the recipe as I go. Mainly because the dough seems quite dry with the amount of water given. I half the recipe given by Hakka Chan. =)
In the end, I made 25 little golden Hee Pan.

200 g Steamed sweet potatoes
250 g Glutinous flour
350 g Plain flour
100 g Rice flour
100 g sugar
325 ml Lukewarm water (I mixed the water from my steamed sweet potatos with plain water)
2 tbsp cooking oil for the dough
1 tbsp yeast (I dissolved it with some lukewarm water from above)
2 tbsp cooking oil for moulding.

Use a good big wide pot as the amount of flours added to be quite a big dough. A good pot with flat base will be ideal.

1. Sieve the flours and mix it all together with sweet potatoes, sugar and oil.
2. Make a well in the center of the mix and add the lukewarm water slowly, using your finger to slowly mix the flour to the water to form a sticky soft dough. 
3. When well mix, add in the dissolved yeast into the dough. Gently kneading and mixing it. (If by this time, the dough is still quite dry and not sticking together, add more lukewarm water by sprinkling it onto the dough with your fingers. This helps to prevent adding too much water by accident.)
4. Knead the soft dough for 20 mins, till it forms a nice dough that does not sticks to your finger or the pot.
5. (I will be putting a video up on how to knead a dough)
6. When the dough is smooth and soft, let it rest for 1 hr in a warm place. (In my case, it is the oven which I had warmed up slightly) The size of  the dough will be around double in size. If not, let it sit for a little longer.
7. During the waiting time, wash and cut up banana leaves into squares, or baking paper if you don't have. Banana leaves helps gives a nice fragrance when steamed. Let the banana leaves dry.
8. When the 1 hr is up, give the dough a few strong knead to push out all the air trapped inside the dough.
9. Moisten the palm with some oil and pinch some dough. Mold it into even ball size and place it on the banana leaf. Flatten the top slightly. Let it rise again for about 30 mins.
10. Heat up the water and when the water is boiling, put the dough+leaf onto the steam rack and steam for around 15-20mins.
11. When the time is up, be careful lifting up the steaming lid. Avoid dropping the water onto the buns, or it will turn 'ugly'. 
12. Cool it on a rack or on top of old newspaper to absorb/evaporate the steam. When it is cooled, keep it in an air tight container. 

I love my Hee Pan cooled than hot from the oven. =) How about you?

My verdict: Taste wise, yummy! Size wise,  I wonder if the weather is too cold for the yeast to work. Haha. I may add a little more water next time so that the dough is softer and 'sticky-er' so that the real shape of Hee Pan can be made. =p

But non-the-less, this recipe shall be in my book for  years to come! ^_^

(if you don't have sweet potatos, can just omit them. May need to add more water. If you like yours pink, add a drop of pink food dye at step 4.)

The dough after rising.

Making into small balls. Letting it rise again.

Stacking them up in Steamy! Can't wait!

Tada! Just hot out of the steamer. =)

Yummmmm~!

Hope you enjoy it too!

kcan

Exciting time awaits!

I grew up in a Hakka village in Malaysia, with both my mum n grandma's family being Hakka.

We had a neighbor just across from my grandparents's place, whom make and sold traditional Hakka kuehs from his family home. I remembered following my mum to their place in the afternoons to buy those fresh out of the steamer kuehs. And their sweet aromas just sticks in my memory. Even the burning wood they used to fuel their steamers. Every now and then when I smell the burning fire place, my memory will take me back to my grandparents's place and the aroma from the neighbour's kueh factory. 

Among the many traditional kuehs, my favorite is the the Pink kueh and the vege kueh. Longing to taste the sweet chewy buns, I looked up on the Internet for someone special to post the recipe. And here it is! Hee Pan 喜板. 

Thank you Hakka Chan for the recipe!

At the time of posting, I am now waiting patiently for the kueh to proof in the warm oven. But I can already smell the sweet familiar fragrance. A smell that is so different to making bread. It must be the different rice flours that is commonly used in Asian kuehs. 

Some picture for you to see.

Kneading the dough.

The final product, let to proof in a warm oven or a sunny place. The weather is so cold here. So I had to put it in a warm oven.

Now, I wait.

Will update you again. 

Kcan