← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 1 tsp instant or active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 165 ml warm water
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 300 g Minced pork
• 1 tbsp Ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tsp Dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• ½ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Sugar
• ¼ tsp White pepper
• 2 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 3 tbsp cold water
• 1 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
• 50 g Chinese chives (or 4 spring onions), finely chopped
• black vinegar and chilli oil, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water. Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl, pour in the yeast water and oil and bring together. Knead for 8–10 min until smooth and soft.
2. Cover and leave somewhere warm to rise for 1 hour, until doubled.
3. Meanwhile, put the pork and all the filling seasonings except the chives in a bowl. Stir hard in one direction for 2–3 min, adding the water a spoonful at a time, until sticky. Fold in the chives and chill.
4. Knock the air out of the dough and knead for 2 min. Roll into a log and cut into 12 pieces. Roll each into a 10 cm circle, thinner at the edge than the middle.
5. Hold a circle in your palm, add a heaped tablespoon of filling and pleat the edge up and around it, twisting the top to seal. Set each bun on a square of baking paper in a steamer basket, 3 cm apart.
6. Cover and rest for 15 min, until slightly puffy. Steam over boiling water on medium-high heat for 12–15 min, until firm and the filling is cooked through (71°C / 160°F).
7. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for 3 min before opening, so the buns do not wrinkle. Serve hot with black vinegar and chilli oil.

Tips

• Freeze steamed, cooled buns in a bag; re-steam from frozen for 10–12 minutes for a fast breakfast.
• Keep the dough you are not using covered so it does not dry out and crack.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook RecipeTin Eats Sift & Simmer