Chinese Steamed Buns With Barbecued Pork Filling 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 BBQ PORK STEAMED BUNS | MARION'S KITCHEN

Steps:

• Step 1.For the dough, mix together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre pour in the water and the oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Then use your hands to knead the dough for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and springy to the touch. Place the dough in a large bowl and cover. Allow to rest for 20 minutes.
• Step 2.In the meantime, for the filling, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Then add the Chinese BBQ pork, char siu sauce, soy sauce, sugar and water. Mix well and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Then stir through the cornflour mixture. Simmer for a further minute or until the filling is very thick. Remove from heat and spread the mixture out on a tray. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes to cool down.
• Step 3.Take the dough and on a floured surface, roll into out into a rough rectangle, then fold the dough in half and roll out again. Repeat another 2 times. Then roll up into a cylinder and cut the dough into 16 pieces (the sides will have a spiral pattern due to the folding). Flatten a piece of dough with your palm. Then use a rolling pin to roll the edges so that they are thinner than the centre of the dough disc (similar to dumpling wrapper). Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
• Step 4.Take a disc of dough and place 2 heaped tablespoons of filling in the centre. Pleat the dough edges up and around the filling to completely enclose. Place the bun on a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Cover with a damp tea towel and rest for 1 hour in a warm place.
• Step 5.Place the buns in a steamer and cook over boiling water for 10 minutes or until the dough is fluffy and cooked through.
• Notes: - Char siu sauce is a type of Chinese BBQ sauce that can be found at any Asian grocery store.
• - Hong Kong or Pau Flour has a similar protein content as cake flour but it is bleached and milled very fine. So if you want super white buns, then go for that. But cake flour has a little more flavour and is still bleached...just not as much as the Pau flour. Protein content directly influences how much gluten can be formed. The lower protein means less gluten forms and this makes the buns tender and fluffy.