People who are new to Fasting often pose the questions: “Can I really eat ‘anything I want’ on a Slow Day?” and “What should I eat on Slow Days?” To answer those questions, I have decided to add some blog posts to show some of the foods we eat on what the world calls NFDs [non-fast days] but which, in our house, we call ‘Slow Days.’ This feature will appear sporadically. 

Now for the answers. Can you really eat ANYTHING you want on a Slow Day? Not really. If you eat too many calories every Slow Day, you will not lose weight. There are many questions asked on the Fast Diet Forum which attest to that. Once in a while you can splurge, as long as it isn’t everyday. For what to eat on Slow Days, Dr. Mosley recommends a Mediterranean Diet. As for how we eat, an example follows.

Large cosmopolitan cities around the world have many choices of cuisine, and opportunities to get food that one didn’t cook oneself. Chinese food is very popular for take-away. But out here in the woods of New Hampshire, carry-out might involve a drive so long that the food is cold by the time one gets home to eat it. The solution? Make your own. OK, perhaps there is a bit of Yankee self-sufficiency in that course, but it is need-driven.

Chinese steamed buns, Char Siu Bao, are yummy and really not that difficult to prepare. With Chinese New Year coming up, treat yourself and your friends to steamed buns from home. You can make the filling days in advance. If you wish, the filling, or at least the Chinese Roast Pork, could be purchased at an Asian market or from a co-operative Chinese restaurant — I think I might have seen it at a supermarket in the deli case. Not an option? Then make your own filling.

FOR THE FILLING: 

1 T. oil OR 1 tsp oil + spray of PAM  ⅓ cup finely chopped shallots or red onion	Heat the oil in a wok over medium high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry 1 min.
1 Tbsp sugar          1 Tbsp light soy sauce ++++1½ Tbsp oyster sauce +++2 tsp sesame oil ++++2 tsp dark soy	Turn heat down to medium-low, and add these ingredients. Stir and cook until mixture starts to bubble up.
½ cup chicken stock             2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour	Add the stock and flour, cooking for a couple minutes until thickened
1½ cups diced Chinese roast pork = 6.75 oz = 193 g	Take from heat and stir in pork. Set aside to cool. If you make filling ahead of time, refrigerate covered to prevent drying.

FOR THE BUN DOUGH:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast         ¾ cup warm water	In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook (you can also just use a regular mixing bowl and knead by hand), dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
1 c all-purposeflour  1 c white whole wheat flour        1 c cornstarch 4 tablespoons sugar  ¼ c canola or vegetable oil	Sift together flours and cornstarch, and add to the yeast-water along with sugar and oil. Set mixer to lowest setting and let it mix until a smooth dough ball is formed. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 2 hours.
2½ tsp baking powder 2-3 tsp water	Add baking powder and turn mixer to lowest setting. If dough looks dry and baking powder won’t mix in, add water. Gently knead with dough hook until it is smooth again. Cover with damp cloth, let rest 15 minutes. Set up your steamer in the wok.
	Roll dough into a long tube and divide into 20 equal pieces. Press each piece of dough into a disc about 4½ inches in diameter (it should be thicker in center and thinner at edges).
	Add some filling and pleat buns closed. Place each bun on a parchment paper square or cabbage leaf. Put steamer over wok, being sure boiling water does not touch the buns during steaming process. Once the water boils, put buns in the steamer for 12 minutes over high heat.

TO ASSEMBLE AND COOK

	1.5 T scoop	Scoop filling onto a piece of dough. Pleat to close buns. I haven’t mastered that part yet…maybe this year. Here’s another link for pleating steamed buns.
		Place each bun on a parchment paper square, and steam. I steamed the buns in two batches using a bamboo steamer Be sure boiling water does not touch buns during steaming process. Once water boils, put buns in the steamer, and steam each batch 12 mins over high heat.

Serve the Cha Siu Bao fresh, with stir-fried vegetables. Freeze any that are left over for a future dinner or even breakfast.