Starter
Pork Bao Bun
Succulent pork marinated in a sweet, sticky BBQ sauce and served with pickled slaw in homemade Bao.
Method
- Start by making the bao buns. In a large bowl, mix the flour, caster sugar and pinch of salt. Dissolve the yeast with a pinch of sugar in 1 tsp of warm water, then add it to the flour with the milk, sunflower oil, rice vinegar and 70ml water and mix into a dough.
- On a lightly floured work surface, tip out the dough and knead for 10-15 mins until smooth. Place into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave to rise for 2 hrs, or until doubled in size.
- Whilst waiting for the dough to rise, make the BBQ sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornflour and set to one side. In a large heavy pan, sauté the onion for 5-10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add all the remaining ingredients to a pan with the onion and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Once boiling, add the cornflour slurry and cook for a further 6-8 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Next make the pickling sauce. Place the vinegars, water and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil, cooking until the sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients and then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- To prepare the pork, chop into bite-sized cubes and mix gently with the BBQ sauce. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix the shredded red, white cabbage, carrot, and coriander in a bowl with cooled pickling sauce.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch dough gently and knead for 1 minute. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces forming a ball shape. Roll each dough ball into a flat oval shape, brush some oil on the inside and fold over created a folded sandwich. Place on some parchment paper and place in a steamer basket leaving a few cm between the buns. Cover and let rise for another 10 minutes.
- While waiting for the bao buns, in a pan over medium pan fry marinated pork chop for a couple of minutes until nicely browned.
- Once the bao are ready, steam for around 10 minutes, until puffy. To assemble the bao, layer up the slaw and pork, then finish with a sprinkle fresh coriander and toasted sesame seeds.
