Sheng Jian Bao: Pan-fried pork buns

Sheng Jian Bao: Pan-fried pork buns

Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Author: Wei @ Red House Spice

Yield: make 20 buns

Ingredients

For the wrappers

· 250g / 2 cups all purpose flour (see note 1)

· 1 teaspoon sugar

· 1 teaspoon dried instant yeast (see note 2)

· 140ml / 9 tablespoons water, lukewarm

For the filling

· 250g / 9oz minced pork

· 2 stalks spring onion, finely chopped

· 1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced

· 2 teaspoons light soy sauce

· 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine

mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· 1/2 teaspoon pure sesame oil

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1 pinch ground Sichuan pepper (or Chinese five-spice powder)

· 5 tablespoons water (or chicken stock)

For frying

· 1 tablespoon cooking oil

· 240ml / 1 cup water

· Toasted sesame seeds

· Spring onion, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, mix flour, yeast and sugar. Pour in water little by little while stirring with a pair of chopsticks (or a fork). Then knead with your hand until a smooth, elastic dough forms (see note 3). Cover the bowl with a wet kitchen towel. Leave to rise in a warm place until double in size. It will take between 40 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on the room temperature.

2. Mix the filling: Put all the ingredients for the filling (except for water / stock) into a large bowl. Swirl constantly in the same direction while gradually adding water / stock spoon by spoon into the mixture.

3. Shape the buns: Knead the dough on a floured work surface until it goes back to its original size. Divide it into 20 equal portions. Roll each piece into a disk-like wrapper. Hold the wrapper in the palm of one hand. Place some filling in the middle. Use the other hand to fold the edge anticlockwise by pinching with thumb and index finger until the bun is completely sealed (pleas refer to the images above). Leave to rest for 15 minutes before frying.

4. Fry the buns: Heat up oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Place in the buns. When the bottom part becomes golden brown, pour in water then cover with a lid. Uncover when the water evaporates completely. Sprinkle sesame seed and spring onion over (see note 4 & 5).