Chinese Roast Bbq Pork Buns
By: Linda
Published: Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 11:51am

Ingredients




filling 
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 bunch of spring (green) onions, finely sliced
4 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons tomato puree
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pinch black pepper
6 tablespoons ready-made chicken stock (I used 3 tablespoons of the char siu juice and 3 table
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons shaoxing wine
200 grams (1 cup) diced char siu (Chinese roast pork)
bao dough 
1 tablespoon dried active yeast
100 grams (½ cup) sugar
160 milliliters (⅔ cup) hand hot water
400 grams (2 ⅔ cup) white bread flour or plain flour (all-purpose)
1 egg, lightly beaten
80 milliliters (⅓ cup) oil
4 teaspoons water
16 squares of parchment paper
melted butter for brushing (optional)

Preparation

1 To make the filling - in a large frying pan (skillet), heat the oil until hot and sauté the spring (green) onions until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until thick and bubbly. When cool, cover and allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight. 2 To make the dough – in the bowl of a stand mixer, place the oil, sugar, yeast, egg and water. With the dough hook attachment, on medium speed, gradually add the flour until a soft and elastic dough is formed. Continue to knead on a medium speed for an additional 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with cling-film (plastic wrap), place into the refrigerator and allow for an overnight cold prove. 3 Take out the dough and sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. Punch the dough down and divide into 16 equal sized pieces, covering them with a damp cloth. 4 Flatten a dough ball slightly, making the edges thinner than the middle and fill it with approximately 1 tablespoon of filling, seal and place onto a piece of parchment paper seal down. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling. 5 Cover the filled bao with a cloth and allow to prove for 1-1 ½ hours or until puffy and well risen. 6 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake the buns in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes (turning half way to ensure even browning). 7 As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush with melted butter and leave to cool slightly before devouring. Enjoy!

About


When we lived in London, there was a Chinese bakery, Tai Pan, that was about 10 minutes walk from our house. We would occasionally go there for a weekend raid, of course, we didn’t have room for dinner that night. They made everything on site, from the delectable char siu bao (roast pork bun/barbecue pork bun) to the delicate daan tat (egg custard tarts), from the delicious gai mei bow (coconut bun, chicken tail bun) to the mouthwatering celebration cakes. I really miss that place. You can also buy all that stuff here in the US, but I’m allergic to everything! 
I’ve been craving char siu bao for so long, I had to find a recipe that I could make at home. 
A friend of ours W, invited us around to his house for dinner one night. It was “Chinese”-themed. It was as good a time as any, to try out my first batch of char siu bao. The bread was tender and soft, the filling was meaty, slightly sweet and absolutely more-ish. However, saying that, I think I may change the bread dough recipe next time… 
I made 16, but only 12 of them managed to get to W’s house – I’ve no idea what happened to them!