Bang Bang Cauliflower (Wagamama Style)
This Bang Bang Cauliflower is crispy, spicy and coated in a sticky sweet-chilli glaze. With a balance of heat, savoury depth and light sweetness, it’s a bold vegan dish packed with flavour and texture.
This Bang Bang Cauliflower is crispy, spicy and coated in a sticky sweet-chilli glaze. With a balance of heat, savoury depth and light sweetness, it’s a bold vegan dish packed with flavour and texture.
Bao Bun Steaming Techniques
Steaming is the gold standard method for cooking bao buns and dim sum. A traditional bamboo steamer naturally absorbs excess condensation, preventing water from dripping back onto your food. However, if you do not own a bamboo steamer, there are several effective alternatives that will still give you light, fluffy bao without sogginess.
The key principle is controlling condensation. Any flat metal or glass lid will collect steam, which then drips back down onto the bao. Managing that moisture is the difference between perfect bao and soggy buns.
Light & Fluffy Chinese Bao Buns are one of the most iconic steamed breads in Chinese cuisine, known for their pillowy texture and slightly sweet flavour. Popularised across Taiwan and Japan as hirata-style folded buns, these steamed bao are perfect for stuffing with crispy meats, grilled fillings or fresh vegetables.
Learning how to make Light & Fluffy Chinese Bao Buns at home is all about understanding dough texture, gluten development and correct steaming technique. Using medium-gluten wheat flour, similar to Western plain flour but milled finer, gives the buns their soft white finish. The key is kneading until smooth, allowing proper proving time and steaming over a vigorous boil.
Pani Puri is one of India's most iconic street foods, featuring crisp, hollow semolina shells filled with spiced potatoes, crunchy chickpeas, fresh vegetables and sweet tamarind chutney. Every bite is a delicious combination of crisp, soft, sweet and tangy flavours.
Lotus Leaf Fried Rice is a fragrant, earthy festive dish where savoury sausage, dried shrimp and mushrooms are stir fried with rice, wrapped in soaked lotus leaf and steamed to infuse a delicate tea like aroma. This Lotus Leaf Fried Rice recipe layers flavour in the wok first, then finishes with a second steam to allow the lotus leaf to perfume the rice beautifully.
Often served at banquets and special occasions, lotus leaf fried rice is about depth and aroma. The sausage fat coats each grain, the dried shrimp add umami, and the final steam transforms the dish completely.
Hong Kong Salt & Pepper Pork Chops are a Cantonese café classic featuring thinly sliced pork chops marinated with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and Chinese five-spice before being lightly coated in cornflour and deep-fried until crisp. Finished with flash-fried garlic, bird's eye chillies, spring onions and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper, this dish captures the unmistakable flavours of a Hong Kong cha chaan teng.
Tendon Tempura Rice Bowl is a classic Japanese comfort dish featuring crispy tempura vegetables and prawns served over soft steamed rice with a light savoury soy drizzle. This Tendon Tempura Rice Bowl focuses on texture, combining airy tempura batter with crunchy vegetables like lotus root and sweet potato alongside perfectly fried prawns. The crisp tempura sits on a bed of fluffy Japanese rice and is finished with a delicate soy, mirin and dashi sauce that enhances the natural sweetness of the seafood and vegetables.
Super Simple Teriyaki Chicken is a classic Japanese inspired dish built around tender chicken thigh, sweet mirin and honey, and a glossy soy glaze reduced directly in the pan. This Super Simple Teriyaki Chicken recipe focuses on marinating for depth, searing on high heat and adding the sauce at the right moment to achieve deep caramelisation without burning.
Teriyaki refers to the shine created when soy and sugar based sauces reduce over heat. The key is allowing the chicken to colour first before adding the marinade back into the pan to form that sticky lacquer.
These Spicy Korean Chicken Skewers are made with juicy chicken thighs marinated in a sweet, smoky gochujang sauce, threaded with onions and peppers, then charred until caramelised. Finished with sesame seeds, they're perfect served with steamed rice or wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves.