Yam, also known as taro, is commonly used in many Asian dishes, and has a mild nutty taste with a starchy texture.

This is a recipe for bao filled with delicious sweet yam. They are like the ones served in the Chinese restaurant Din Tai Fung, except these are 100% homemade.

The process requires a bit of time and patience, but the end result will be soft, fluffy buns with a fragrant filling that are absolutely irresistible – perfect for dessert or afternoon tea.

Ingredients

For the paste

• 450g peeled yam
• 100g fine sugar, or to taste

For the dough

• 250ml milk
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fine sugar
• 350g all-purpose flour

Method

• Prepare the paste by cutting the yam into pieces and steaming on high heat for 10-15 minutes or until completely cooked through.
• Add sugar to the yam and mash into a paste with a fork or masher.
• Divide the yam paste into 12 balls. Cover and set aside.
• Now prepare the dough. Add the milk, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer attached with a dough hook, and stir with a spoon.
• Add flour and knead the ingredients on low speed until it forms a smooth dough, about 6 minutes. If the dough starts to “climb up” the dough hook, stop the mixer and push the dough back down into the bowl.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough with your hands until the surface is smooth. Divide into 12 dough balls.
• Roll out each dough ball into flat circles, then place a yam ball in the middle of the dough. Wrap it and pinch to seal tight.
• Place the dough ball on a piece of parchment paper. Repeat the process to make 11 more baos.
• Place the baos inside a steamer and close the lid but do not turn on the heat yet. Allow the dough balls to expand in size, about 1 hour. Make sure you leave enough space between each bao so they don’t stick together.
• Now turn the heat on high and steam for 10-12 minutes, or until the baos become soft and puffy.
• Remove from the steamer, allow to cool slightly, and serve warm.

Tips

• The baos may be stored in the freezer in sandwich bags. To reheat, simply place them in a steamer until they are hot and fluffy.
• You may substitute the yam with sweet potato if you wish.

This recipe can be found in Rasa Malaysia.

Low Bee Yinn is a food blogger and cookbook author.