Char siu bao

Preparation

1. Massage the marinade into 300g of belly pork in a baking tray

2. Cover the tray and cook in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes, basting the meat with the sauce halfway through.

3. After 20 minutes, turn the meat and cook for a further 20-25 minutes until the meat becomes lightly charred.

4. Allow to cool, then finely chop the meat and mix in well with the sauce.

Starter dough

5. Mix the starter ingredients until the mixture comes together, then knead the dough for 5 minutes until smooth.

6. Leave to prove covered for 12 hours in a warm place, or longer in the fridge. At the end of proving time, the dough should smell really yeasty!

Bao

7. Rub together the flour and lard in a large bowl until breadcrumbs are formed, then add all the other ingredients along with the risen starter dough and combine using your hands.

8. This will feel like it's never going to come together but it will, just persevere – it will take about 15 minutes at least until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

9. Next, tear off golfball-sized chunks of the dough (whilst keeping the rest covered), flatten and roll out into a circle the size of your palm.

10. Place a teaspoon of the filling into the middle then fold the dough up around the filling and squeeze at the top. These look best when you pinch together the dough in a circular motion until the top is sealed. Place each bao on a small square of greaseproof paper.

11. To cook: steam 3 or 4 at a time (so as not to overcrowd) over a rolling boil of water with 1-2 tbsp white vinegar added. Cook until the ammonia smell disappears, about 15-20 minutes.

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