Fa mian bao zi, fully risen steamed pork buns
Chinese Cooking Demystified · ♥ 21.6K likes · 957.2K views · 6 min video
Read about roasts in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 250 g all purpose flour
- 125 g water
- 5 g sugar
- 2 g active dry yeast
Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the water, then add it to the flour bit by bit, aiming at the dry parts.
- 180 g pork butt
Pinch the craggly side closed and shape into a ball, cover and rise 90 minutes until doubled.
Slice the pork into a dice and hand chop about three minutes to a fine mince.
- 60 g hot boiled water
- ½ inch crushed ginger
- 3 sections leek
- 2 whole star anise
- ½ whole black cardamom pod
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
Steep the ginger, leek, star anise, black cardamom, fennel seed and Sichuan peppercorns in the hot water at least 30 minutes until it reaches room temperature.
Spice water for the filling
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- 0.125 tsp white pepper powder
- ½ tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp Shaoxing wine
Season the pork with the salt, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, light soy sauce and Shaoxing wine.
Strain the cooled spice water and add it to the pork a tablespoon at a time, stirring in one direction only for about five minutes until sticky and uniform.
- flour
Flour the risen dough, punch out the air, roll it into a large sheet, roll it up tightly from the back and cut eight even pieces of 47.5 g.
Press each piece flat, fold the corners into the centre all the way round, pinch closed, pinch at the top and twist, then round it.
Flour and press each ball flat, then roll with a rolling pin moving in then pressing out with force around the circle, so the centre stays thicker than the sides.
Rolling wrappers with a thick center
Add 30 g of filling, pleat around the bun pushing the filling down and in, aiming for 18 pleats, then pinch and twist the excess closed at the top.
Set the buns on parchment squares in a steamer over a pot of 38 centigrade water.