Pork and Onion Steamed Roll (Da Lan Long)
Lazy Dragon (Lan Long) is a popular wheat-based staple common in Northern China. It features flavorful, layered filling, a soft and fluffy texture, and is simple to prepare — easier to make than steamed buns and tastier than mantou, so my family steams a full batch every 10 days to two weeks that lasts for two to three meals. It is delicious served warm or cold, and leftover Lazy Dragon can also be pan-fried in a skillet for a delightfully crispy bottom.
While Lazy Dragon tastes delicious, it requires no advanced cooking skills, and you can adjust the amount of meat in the filling to match your taste preferences. The only key to getting a soft, fluffy dough crust is proper leavening. Traditional recipes call for old-style leaven, but most home cooks today use dry yeast instead, and there is a simple trick for best results: add a small pinch of sugar to feed the yeast, so the dough rises faster and more evenly, resulting in a smooth, fluffy finished product. This trick works not just for this pork and onion Lazy Dragon, but for all Chinese wheat-based staples including mantou, flower rolls, and steamed buns. Even if you are a beginner, follow the recipe ratios and you will definitely pull off this dish successfully.
Ingredients
high-gluten flour
500 g
low-gluten flour
300 g
ground pork
500 g
yellow onion
1
dry yeast
8 g
fine granulated sugar
10 g
cold water
450 g
vegetable oil
20 g
soy sauce
30 g
oyster sauce
30 g
salt
to taste
Instructions
1
Step 1
Prepare the dough ingredients. This time I used a mix of high-gluten and low-gluten flour, but you can also use medium-gluten flour or just high-gluten flour. Add a bit of sugar to help the yeast ferment. Since the weather is warm now, cold water works fine; if it's cold and the room temperature is low, use warm water to knead. The dry yeast amount should be roughly 1% of the flour weight.
2
Step 2
Weigh all ingredients and pour them into the bread machine bucket. Install the bucket in the Donlim JD08 bread machine and start a "knead" program for 10 minutes. Once the dough has come together with no dry flour and looks slightly moist, remove the kneading paddle, round the dough, cover with the inner and outer lids, and let it ferment naturally for about 1 hour, adjusting the time based on the dough's state. If the room temperature is low, you can use the bread machine's built-in fermentation program. Without a bread machine, simply knead by hand into a ball, then cover tightly with a damp cloth or a well-sealing lid.
3
Step 3
While waiting for fermentation, prepare the filling: use ground pork with a mix of fat and lean, and one yellow onion. Pork with some fat is more fragrant. You can use yellow or purple onions, as long as they are juicy.
4
Step 4
Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and vegetable oil to the pork, sprinkle in salt to taste, and stir until well combined. Cut the onion into strips first, then into small diced pieces. Since onions contain plenty of moisture, there's no need to add water to the filling.
5
Step 5
Do not mix the diced onion into the pork filling until just before using, to prevent liquid from seeping out.
6
Step 6
Properly fermented dough should be 2 to 2.5 times its original size. When you gently pat the dough, it should make a hollow sound. Poke a hole in the top of the dough with a flour-dusted finger; if it neither collapses nor springs back, fermentation is successful.
7
Step 7
Take the dough out and place it on a floured work surface. Knead it a few times by hand to release the air, then roll it into a rectangular sheet about 3 mm thick. Spread the pork and onion filling evenly over the dough, leaving the edges bare.
8
Step 8
Roll from one side to the other, with the seam facing down, and press firmly to seal.
9
Step 9
Depending on the size of your steamer, pinch the dough roll into evenly sized portions. Pinch both ends of each small roll tightly to prevent them from splitting open during steaming and letting the filling leak out.
10
Step 10
Add plenty of water to the steamer, line the steaming rack with a cloth, and arrange the rolls on the rack, leaving space between them and around the edges for expansion. Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes.
11
Step 11
When the rolls are about 1.5 times their original size, turn the heat to high and steam for about 25 minutes, adjusting the time based on the size and thickness of the rolls. When the time is up, don't rush to open the lid; let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before opening for a smooth, even surface.
12
Step 12
Pork and Onion Da Lan Long — soft, fluffy, and layered!
