Eileen Yin Fei Los Steamed Pork Buns Recipes

EILEEN YIN-FEI LO'S STEAMED PORK BUNS

Steps:

• Making the filling: In a small bowl, combine chicken stock, oyster sauce, sugar, tapioca starch, ketchup, soy sauce, and white pepper; set aside.
• Heat a wok over high heat for 40 seconds and add oil. Coat wok with oil using a spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add onion. Lower heat to medium, and cook until onion turns light brown, about 2 minutes. Raise heat to high, add pork, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add wine, and stir to combine.
• Stir the reserved stock mixture and add it to the wok. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and turns brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Add sesame oil, and stir to combine. Transfer to a shallow dish. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate uncovered, for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Making the dough: On a clean work surface, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the center, add milk gradually, and combine flour mixture with fingers. When milk is absorbed, add 3 tablespoons water, and work dough with fingers. Add lard, and continue to work dough with fingers. Using a dough scraper, gather dough in one hand and knead it with the other. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, 12 to 15 minutes. (If dough is dry, add 1 teaspoon water at a time and continue to knead. If dough is wet, sprinkle a bit of flour on work surface and on hands and continue working it.) When dough is elastic (it will bounce back if you poke it lightly), cover with plastic wrap and let rest 1 hour.
• Prepare the buns: Cut sixteen 2 1/2-inch squares of parchment or waxed paper. Bring a pan of water to a boil. Roll dough into a cylinder 16 inches long. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Work with one piece at a time; cover those not being used with a piece of plastic wrap. Press down lightly on a ball of dough; then, with fingers, press a well into the center. Place 1 tablespoon filling into the well, and pleat the dough with fingers until filling is completely enclosed. Repeat for all 16.
• Place buns on parchment squares, and place in steamer at least 2 inches apart to permit expansion. Cover steamer. Place over boiling water, and steam until dough is fluffy and dry and filling is hot, 12 to 20 minutes. Remove buns from steamer, and repeat with remaining buns. Serve warm.

CHINESE STEAMED BUNS WITH BARBECUED PORK FILLING

Steps:

• Place the warm water in a large bowl, and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, and mix thoroughly. Cover with a cloth, and let stand until bubbles appear, about 20 minutes.
• Dissolve sugar and shortening in boiling water, and allow to cool to lukewarm. Stir into the yeast mixture along with the remaining flour. When the dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Coat a large bowl with sesame oil, and place the dough inside. Turn over to coat, and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add green onions and garlic, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add pork, and fry for a minute, then stir in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water, then stir the mixture into the pork. Cook, stirring constantly until the pork is coated with a thickened glaze. Remove to a bowl, and allow to cool.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, and roll it out into one long log. Slice the log into 1 inch pieces. Flatten each piece into a 3 inch circle using the palm of your hand or a rolling pin. Place 2 tablespoons of the pork filling onto the center of each circle, and gather up the edges around the filling and pinch together to close the bun. Place each bun seam side down onto a square of aluminum foil. Cover with a towel, and let rise for about 1 hour.
• Bring a couple inches of water to boil in a wok. Place a few buns at a time in a steamer, such as a bamboo steamer for a wok, or a fitted steam tray. Cover, and steam buns over briskly boiling water for 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining buns.