Chinese Roast Bbq Pork Buns

Photo: Linda

Ingredients

filling

1 teaspoon peanut oil

1 bunch of spring (green) onions, finely sliced

4 teaspoons oyster sauce

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons tomato puree

1 tablespoon sugar

1 pinch black pepper

6 tablespoons ready-made chicken stock (I used 3 tablespoons of the char siu juice and 3 table

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons shaoxing wine

200 grams (1 cup) diced char siu (Chinese roast pork)

bao dough

1 tablespoon dried active yeast

100 grams (½ cup) sugar

160 milliliters (⅔ cup) hand hot water

400 grams (2 ⅔ cup) white bread flour or plain flour (all-purpose)

1 egg, lightly beaten

80 milliliters (⅓ cup) oil

4 teaspoons water

16 squares of parchment paper

melted butter for brushing (optional)

Preparation

To make the filling - in a large frying pan (skillet), heat the oil until hot and sauté the spring (green) onions until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until thick and bubbly. When cool, cover and allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight.

To make the dough – in the bowl of a stand mixer, place the oil, sugar, yeast, egg and water. With the dough hook attachment, on medium speed, gradually add the flour until a soft and elastic dough is formed. Continue to knead on a medium speed for an additional 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with cling-film (plastic wrap), place into the refrigerator and allow for an overnight cold prove.

Take out the dough and sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. Punch the dough down and divide into 16 equal sized pieces, covering them with a damp cloth.

Flatten a dough ball slightly, making the edges thinner than the middle and fill it with approximately 1 tablespoon of filling, seal and place onto a piece of parchment paper seal down. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.

Cover the filled bao with a cloth and allow to prove for 1-1 ½ hours or until puffy and well risen.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake the buns in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes (turning half way to ensure even browning).

As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush with melted butter and leave to cool slightly before devouring. Enjoy!

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About

When we lived in London, there was a Chinese bakery, Tai Pan, that was about 10 minutes walk from our house. We would occasionally go there for a weekend raid, of course, we didn’t have room for dinner that night. They made everything on site, from the delectable char siu bao (roast pork bun/barbecue pork bun) to the delicate daan tat (egg custard tarts), from the delicious gai mei bow (coconut bun, chicken tail bun) to the mouthwatering celebration cakes. I really miss that place. You can also buy all that stuff here in the US, but I’m allergic to everything!

I’ve been craving char siu bao for so long, I had to find a recipe that I could make at home.

A friend of ours W, invited us around to his house for dinner one night. It was “Chinese”-themed. It was as good a time as any, to try out my first batch of char siu bao. The bread was tender and soft, the filling was meaty, slightly sweet and absolutely more-ish. However, saying that, I think I may change the bread dough recipe next time…

I made 16, but only 12 of them managed to get to W’s house – I’ve no idea what happened to them!