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cha siu bao
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1 - Marinate Pork - 1 to 5 hrs
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1 lb fatty pork, 1/2" cubes
1 large shallot, minced
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs honey
1 tbs hoisin sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp mirin
white pepper to taste
- combine above, place in fridge
notes:
- onion is really strong, assuming they'll sweeten as we grill
- white pepper really changes aroma, maybe less next time
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2 - Prepare Dough - 2 hrs
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6 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tbs active dry yeast
1 tbs baking powder
2 tbs shortening
- dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in 1 3/4 cups warm water, add yeast
- sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl
- stir in 2 tablespoons shortening and the yeast mixture
- knead the dough until smooth and elastic
- place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with cling wrap
- let the dough rise about 2 hours, or until it has tripled in bulk
notes:
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3 - Grill Pork -
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1 cup water, boiling
1 tbs cornstarch (flour?)
1 tbs honey
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil (?)
2 tbs lard (?)
- grill pork and marinade mixture until charring
- remove pork only
- add above and reduce
- allow to cool
- add in pork
notes:
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4 - Assemble Buns -
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- remove the dough from the bowl, knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic
- roll the dough into a long roll, and divide it into 24 pieces
- Flatten each piece with the palm of the hand to form a thin circle
- the centre of the circle should be thicker than the edge
- place one portion of the pork filling in the centre of each dough circle
- wrap the dough to enclose the filling, pinch edges to form the bun
- let the buns stand for 10 minutes
- steam buns for 12 minutes