Chinese Sweet Dumplings

For the dough, mix the yeast, water and sugar together in a jug and set aside for 5 minutes. Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the yeast mixture, stirring with your hands. You may need to add a little more water to make a smooth dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for about 15 minutes. Place the dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for one hour or until it has doubled in size. Meanwhile, make the red bean paste.

For the paste, rinse the beans then place in a large pan of water, bring it to the boil and simmer for one hour or until the beans are very tender. Press the beans through a sieve to remove the skins then transfer the paste to a small pan. Add the sugar and butter and heat very gently, stirring all the time, until the sugar has dissolved then remove the pan from the heat.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead once more for five minutes then divide the dough into 12 pieces. Flatten each piece of dough to a circle about 1/2cm / 1/8" thick. Put a teaspoon of the red bean paste in the middle, moisten the rim of the circle with a little water and bring the edges together to make a neat ball, twisting gently to ensure you have a good seal.