Ready to rustle up a winning weekend dish? These homemade Chinese buns filled with savoury pork and ginger are absolutely epic and worth every minute. Pan-fried to a golden hue and topped with chilli oil, they’re totally next-level. You’ll never go store-bought again!
3 tbsp vegetable oil
black sesame seeds, to serve
soy sauce, to serve
chilli oil (try my homemade version here), to serve
Dough:
300g (10.5 oz) cake flour*, plus extra for dusting
70g (2.5 oz) white (granulated) sugar
9g (0.32 oz) baking powder
7g sachet (¼ oz) instant yeast
150ml (5 fl oz) water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Filling:
500g (1 lb) pork mince
1 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
1 chicken stock cube
¼ cup water
3 tbsp finely chopped spring onion (scallions)
3 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp ground white pepper
For the dough, mix together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre pour and 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 1 hour.
In the meantime, for the filling, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined.
On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a rough rectangle, then fold in half and roll out again. Repeat another 2 times. Then roll up into a cylinder and cut the dough into 20 pieces. Roll into a roughly 8cm (just over 3”) diameter circle. Then use a rolling pin to roll the edges so that they are thinner than the centre of the dough disc. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
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.
To cook, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil and swirl around in the pan. Place the buns into the pan, pleat side up. Cook until deeply golden brown on the bottom. Pour in water to about halfway up the sides of the buns. Cover and cook for 12 minutes or until the water has almost completely evaporated. Remove the lid and allow the buns to continue sizzling for a couple of minutes.
Transfer buns to a serving plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with soy sauce and chilli oil.
Notes:
– Cake flour is a low-gluten flour that helps give a fluffy, light texture.
