Name: Sticky pork belly bao buns
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Yield: makes 10
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 tbsp sunflower oil; 800g piece boneless pork belly cut into thick slices; 4 tbsp light muscovado sugar; 3 garlic cloves sliced; thumb-sized piece ginger sliced; 2 star anise; 100ml Shaosing rice wine; 2 tbsp dark soy sauce; large pinch of Chinese five-spice powder; 250g plain flour plus extra for dusting; 1 tbsp white caster sugar; 1 tsp baking powder; 2 tsp fast-action dried yeast; 50ml milk; 1 tbsp sunflower oil plus extra for greasing; handful roasted peanuts; 1 tsp togarashi spice mix (see tip below); coriander leaves; cucumber batons; shredded spring onion

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Sticky pork belly bao buns

Sticky pork belly bao buns

Jennifer Joyce

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makes 10

More effort

Prep: 40 mins

Cook: 2 hrs

A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.11 ratingsRate

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These soft Chinese bao buns are stuffed to bursting with spicy pork and topped with crushed chilli peanuts

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

For the pork

1 tbsp sunflower oil
800g piece boneless pork belly

cut into thick slices
4 tbsp light muscovado sugar
3 garlic cloves

sliced
thumb-sized piece ginger

sliced
2 star anise
100ml Shaosing rice wine
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
large pinch of Chinese five-spice powder

For the buns

250g plain flour

plus extra for dusting
1 tbsp white caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp fast-action dried yeast
50ml milk
1 tbsp sunflower oil

plus extra for greasing

For the crushed chilli peanuts

handful roasted peanuts
1 tsp togarashi spice mix

(see tip below)

To serve

coriander

leaves
cucumber

batons
shredded spring onion

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Nutrition: per bun

kcal570
fat22g
saturates6g
carbs66g
sugars17g
fibre3g
protein26g
salt1.4g

Method

step 1

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. In batches, brown the pork belly well, then transfer to a plate. Tip the sugar into the dish and cook over a medium heat until starting to dissolve and caramelise, then quickly stir in the garlic, ginger and star anise, and cook for 1 min.
step 2

Carefully pour in the rice wine and soy sauce – watch out, it will spatter – and simmer to dissolve the sugar. Stir the pork into the caramel to coat, then add 100ml water and the five-spice, and bring to a simmer. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 1 hr 30 mins. Remove from the oven, uncover, put on a high heat to simmer and reduce the sauce until sticky. Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and chilled. Reheat with a splash of water.
step 3

To make the chilli peanuts, mash most of the peanuts using a pestle and mortar, then add the rest of the nuts and roughly crush for a chunky texture. Stir through the togarashi powder. Can be made 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
step 4

For the buns, tip the dry ingredients and a large pinch of salt into a food mixer fitted with a dough hook. Pour in the milk, oil and 100ml tepid water, and work the mixture for about 10 mins until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave to double in size (for about 1 hr)
step 5

Tip the dough onto a floured surface and roll into a sausage shape. Cut the sausage into 10 equal portions. Roll each portion into a bun, then use a rolling pin to roll each bun out into an oval. Lightly grease each one, then fold them over a greased chopstick or skewer and place on a lightly oiled baking tray to rest for 1 hr or until doubled in size. Remove the chopstick or skewer before steaming.
step 6

Heat a steamer and steam the buns on circles of baking parchment in batches for about 10 mins until puffed up. Split the buns and stuff each one with a slice or two of the pork, drizzled with some of the sauce. Scatter over some coriander, cucumber and spring onions, then sprinkle with the crushed nuts and tuck in.

RECIPE TIPS

TOGARASHI

Togarashi is a Japanese seven-spice mix which includes ground chillies, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and citrus peel. You can buy it in Asian food shops or online from souschef.co.uk, seasonedpioneers.com or amazon.co.uk.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2016

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A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.11 ratings

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