Crystal Jade Frozen Red Bean Bun Review

Today we review the Crystal Jade Frozen Red Bean Bun (豆沙包). We spotted this frozen dim sum snack from the famous Chinese restaurant in Singapore while browsing the NTUC Fairprice online and decided to check it out.

Where to buy frozen Crystal Jade dim sum? We bought ours from Fairprice Online at the price of $5.80 for a pack of 6 pieces. It is listed as a “new” item so we don’t know if it is being listed at a promotional price. We checked the Crystal Jade sStore and we found them being listed there for $6.20.

The Frozen Dim Sum Buns

This is what the Crystal Jade frozen red bean buns look like in the box. The six pieces are neatly contained in sealed individual compartments. The expiry date is 4 Sep 2022 which is decent shelf life for this product. On the cover of the box it is stated that these frozen buns were hand-made, which explains their inconsistent shapes and sizes.

Crystal Jade Frozen Red Bean Bun Cooking Instructions

The instructions for reheating the frozen buns were simple and easy to follow. It can be done by microwave in 40 seconds or by steaming which takes 8 minutes. We decide to use steaming to try to mimic the original dining experience as close as possible.

As per the instructions we placed the Crystal Jade buns in the boiling steamer in their frozen state (ie without defrosting). We steamed them for 8 minutes exactly. The picture below shows how they look after steaming. They plump up a bit (perhaps by 20%) as compared to their frozen state. So don’t place them too close to each other.

Steamed Red Bean Buns at Home

The Crystal Jade frozen red bean buns turned out better than expected. Once the buns were steamed they became fluffy and round. Their complexion seems to have undergone plastic surgery and became smooth and blemish-free. More importantly they tasted very good. In a blind tasting, we won’t be able to differentiate them from the ones served at a Crystal Jade restaurant.

The skin was fluffy but yet with a certain level of elasticity. Each bun was full of red bean paste inside. We will certainly buy these again. In fact we will now go buy some other types of Crystal Jade frozen dim sum to try at home. They have quite a wide range including char siew bao, har kau and siew mai. If they are as good as this we will have dim sum at home in future and avoid all those expensive add-ons at restaurants such as tea, towels, peanuts and service charge.

Frozen Crystal Jade dim sum are available at these websites.

Crystal Jade sStore

NTUC Fairprice

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The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog