Chinese Pork Filled Buns Recipes

CHINESE STEAMED PORK BUNS

Steps:

• Yeast Activation: Place yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl. Mix, then set aside for 10 minutes until it becomes foamy.
• Place flour, cornflour and sugar in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook. Mix briefly to combine.
• Add yeast mixture, oil and water. Mix on low speed for 3 minutes until a smooth ball of dough forms. It should be soft and elastic, not so sticky it gets stuck all over your hands. Adjust with a touch of flour/water if required to get the dough consistency right.
• Cover with cling wrap and place in a warm dry place for 2 hours until it doubles in volume. (Note 3). Meanwhile, make Filling.
• Remove cling wrap, scatter over baking powder. Return to stand mixer and mix on low for 2 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto work surface, sprinkle with flour. Knead lightly to form a smooth round disc.
• Cut dough into 4 pieces. Take one piece, roll into an even log, cut into 3 pieces (so 12 pieces in total).
• Take one piece of dough, cover remaining with cling wrap or tea towel.
• Roll into round 4.5" / 11 cm in diameter, making the edges thinner.
• Place dough in hand, put 1 1/2 tbsp of Filling in the centre.
• Pinch 8 pleats around the edges. Then gather the pleats together one by one to seal the bun. Pinch the top the twist.
• Repeat with remaining dough - make 12 in total.
• Cover buns loosely with cling wrap and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes.
• Line a large bamboo steamer (or other steamer) with parchment paper punctured with holes (Note 4).
• Place 6 to 8 buns on paper, cover with steamer lid.
• Pour about 4 cm / 1 1/2 inches in a wok / pot (steamer should not touch water) and bring to rapid simmer over medium high.
• Place steamer in wok, then cook for 12 minutes. Check water halfway through, top up if required.
• Buns are ready when they spring back when touched, and the buns have formed a smooth skin.
• Remove steamer from wok, serve warm!
• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add eschalots and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and water. Mix.
• While stirring, slowly pour cornflour mixture in. Mix until smooth.
• Stir in pork. Cook until sauce is thickened, 1 - 1 1/2 minutes (see video for consistency). Set aside to cool (thickens when cools).

CHINESE STEAMED BUNS WITH BBQ PORK FILLING

Steps:

• Mix together pork, barbecue sauce, shallots, flour, chicken stock, soy sauce, oil, and sugar. Chill in refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
• Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Cook the pork until an instant-read meat thermometer reaches 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Allow to cool; shred or finely chop the meat.
• Prepare dough for Chinese Steamed Buns (see footnote).
• Shape dough into balls. Roll each out into a circle, (like won-ton wrappers). Put 1 tablespoonful of prepared meat mixture in the center of each circle, and wrap dough around filling. Place seam-side down onto wax paper squares. Let stand until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Bring water to a boil in wok, and reduce heat to medium; the water should still be boiling. Place steam-plate on a small wire rack in the middle of the wok. Transfer as many buns on wax paper as will comfortably fit onto steam-plate, leaving 1 to 2 inches between the buns. At least 2 inches space should be left between steam-plate and the wok. Cover wok with lid. Steam buns over boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes.
• REMOVE LID BEFORE you turn off heat, or else water will drip back onto bun surface and produce yellowish "blisters" on bun surfaces. Continue steaming batches of buns until all are cooked.

CHINESE PORK BUNS

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup water, yeast, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon cake flour in a large bowl; let stand until top is beginning to form a layer of white foam, about 20 minutes. Add remaining cake flour (2 cups minus the 1 teaspoon) and stir gently using chopsticks until dough comes together. Knead dough until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let first dough stand in a warm place for 4 to 6 hours.
• Mix 2/3 cup water, ginger, spring onion, oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon corn flour, sesame oil, and white pepper in a saucepan over medium-low heat; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Cool filling to room temperature; refrigerate.
• Spoon chilled filling over pork; mix well.
• Sift 1/2 cup corn flour, 3/8 cup cake flour, and baking powder together into a bowl. Add 3/8 cup sugar and cooking oil and mix well. Mix corn flour mixture into first dough, kneading until smooth. Roll dough into a ball. Cover ball with an inverted bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.
• Divide dough into 12 to 15 pieces and roll each into a ball. Flatten the balls into rounds. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons filling into the center of each round and fold round around filling and seal. It's fine if the top is a bit thick, it just helps create the top flower look.
• Line bamboo steamers with parchment paper and arrange buns on top. Set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes. Close lids tightly.
• Bring 1 1/2 to 2 quarts water to a boil in a wok or large skillet for 10 minutes. Place steamers in the wok and steam buns over medium heat until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

CHINESE PORK-FILLED BUNS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water; blend in sugar and oil. Let stand in a warm place until bubbly (about 15 minutes).
• Add flour mixed with the salt and mix until dough holds together. This can be done in a heavy duty mixer with the dough hook or kneaded by hand for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour and 15 minutes).
• Meanwhile prepare the pork filling:.
• Combine the pork with garlic, ginger, sugar and soy sauce.
• Heat a fry pan or wok to medium high, add some oil and fry pork and onion until cooked through, turning down heat if necessary. Add the cooking sauce and cook until bubbling and hot.
• Cool completely.
• Turn dough out on floured board and knead for 1 minute. Divide into 12 even balls. With your hands make the dough ball into a 4 1/2" round, making the edges thinner then the rest of the round.
• Place about 2 tbs. filling in center of each round. Pull edges of dough up around filling and twist to seal. Place seam side down on a baking tray. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile preheat oven to350F and when puffy and light, brush with melted butter and bake for about 15 minutes.

BAKED FILLED BUNS

Steps:

• For the dough, melt the butter with the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes, or until warm (about 110°F). If using oil, combine it with the milk and heat until warm.
• Put the yeast in small bowl, add the water, and set aside for 1 minute to soften. Whisk in the milk mixture and the egg to blend.
• Combine the sugar and flour in a food processor. Pulse two or three times to blend. With the machine running, pour the yeast mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream. After a sticky mass of very soft dough forms, about 5 seconds, continue processing for 45 to 60 seconds to form a smooth, slightly sticky dough that mostly cleans the bowl. The finished dough should stick a bit to your finger when pressed. Alternatively, to make the dough by hand, combine the sugar and flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Slowly stir with a wooden spoon to work in all the flour. (Add water by the teaspoon if this doesn't happen with relative ease.) Keep stirring as a ragged, soft mass forms. Then use your fingers to gather and pat the dough into a ball. Transfer to a work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth, fingertip soft, and slightly elastic. (You should not need any additional flour on the work surface if the dough was properly made. Keep kneading and after the first minute or two, the dough should not stick to your fingers. If it does, work in a sprinkling of flour.) Press your finger into the dough; it should spring back, with a faint indentation remaining.
• Regardless of the mixing method, lightly oil a clean bowl and add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place (for example, the oven with the light on) to rise for about 45 minutes, or until nearly doubled. (Or, punch the dough down after rising, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Return the dough to room temperature before using.)
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper before beginning to assemble the buns.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and put on a lightly floured surface. Knead it a few times, then cut it in half. Cover one-half with plastic wrap or an inverted bowl to prevent drying. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch log, and then cut it into 8 or 16 pieces for medium or small buns, respectively. (Halve or quarter the log first to make it easier to cut even-size pieces. The tapered end pieces should be cut a little longer than the rest.) Lightly roll each piece between your hands into a ball and then flatten each one into a 1/4-inch-thick disk. Use a wooden dowel-style rolling pin to roll the pieces into circles, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter for small or 3 1/4 inches in diameter for medium buns. The rim should be thinner than the center; keep a 1-inch-wide belly. The finished circle will rise as it sits. (For guidance on rolling, see "Forming Wrappers from Basic Dumpling Dough," step 5, page 24.) Lay the finished circles out on your work surface, lightly dusting their bottoms with flour if you fear they will stick.
• To form a bun, hold a dough circle in a slightly cupped hand. Use a spoon or fork to center about 2 teaspoons of filling for small buns, or about 4 teaspoons of filling for medium ones, on the dough circle, pressing down very gently and keeping about 1/2- to 3/4- inch of the dough clear on all sides; your hand will automatically close slightly. Use the thumb of the hand cradling the bun to push down the filling while the other hand pulls up the dough edge and pleats and pinches the rim together to form a closed satchel (see page 52). Pinch and twist the dough closed at the end. Place the bun pleat side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough circles, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Set in a warm, draft-free place (for example, the oven with the light on) for 30 minutes to rise. Meanwhile, work on the other dough half to form more buns.
• To bake the buns, about 10 minutes before the rising time is over, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. (Let the buns finish rising at room temperature if you've had them in the oven.)
• Bake one baking sheet at a time, brushing the top and side of each bun with the egg right before baking. Bake small buns for about 14 minutes and medium buns for about 18 minutes, or until a rich golden brown; the cooked buns sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove them from the oven, set on a rack, and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Brush the honey mixture on the buns for a sweet-glaze finish that will also soften the crust. Enjoy warm and out of hand. Refrigerate left-over buns for up to a week and reheat at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, until hot. When making the buns in advance, wait to brush on the glaze until after you've reheated the buns. These buns may also be frozen for up to a month. Thaw them completely before reheating.

STEAMED PORK BUNS

Steps:

• Sift the flour.
• Add sugar, baking powder and lard.
• pour in water and knead until smooth.
• Cover with a damp teatowel and rest for 30 minutes.
• Saute the onions and pork briefly in the oil.
• Add water and seasonings and simmer until the sauce thickens.
• Spread this filling onto a plate to cool.
• Roll the dough into a long sausage shape and cut into twelve equal pieces.
• Roll each into a ball and flatten into a circle with your fingers.
• Place a spoonful of filling in the center and bring the dough up around it.
• Pinch the dough firmly to join it.
• Put each bun on a separate piece of parchment or wax paper.
• At this point the pastries can be frozen (IQF) by placing them on a tray in the freezer.
• Otherwise, brush each with a little water and set them in a steam basket.
• Steam over rapidly boiling water for 10 minutes.
• When steaming, do not crowd the pastries.
• If necessary steam them in batches.
• They can be rewarmed (once) carefully in the microwave.

STICKY PORK BELLY BAO BUNS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. In batches, brown the pork belly well, then transfer to a plate. Tip the sugar into the dish and cook over a medium heat until starting to dissolve and caramelise, then quickly stir in the garlic, ginger and star anise, and cook for 1 min.
• Carefully pour in the rice wine and soy sauce - watch out, it will spatter - and simmer to dissolve the sugar. Stir the pork into the caramel to coat, then add 100ml water and the five-spice, and bring to a simmer. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 1 hr 30 mins. Remove from the oven, uncover, put on a high heat to simmer and reduce the sauce until sticky. Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and chilled. Reheat with a splash of water.
• To make the chilli peanuts, mash most of the peanuts using a pestle and mortar, then add the rest of the nuts and roughly crush for a chunky texture. Stir through the togarashi powder. Can be made 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
• For the buns, tip the dry ingredients and a large pinch of salt into a food mixer fitted with a dough hook. Pour in the milk, oil and 100ml tepid water, and work the mixture for about 10 mins until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave to double in size (for about 1 hr)
• Tip the dough onto a floured surface and roll into a sausage shape. Cut the sausage into 10 equal portions. Roll each portion into a bun, then use a rolling pin to roll each bun out into an oval. Lightly grease each one, then fold them over a greased chopstick or skewer and place on a lightly oiled baking tray to rest for 1 hr or until doubled in size. Remove the chopstick or skewer before steaming.
• Heat a steamer and steam the buns on circles of baking parchment in batches for about 10 mins until puffed up. Split the buns and stuff each one with a slice or two of the pork, drizzled with some of the sauce. Scatter over some coriander, cucumber and spring onions, then sprinkle with the crushed nuts and tuck in.