Baked pork 'Kongbak' bao-buns- the umami of the meat between the soft buns....unforgettable!

Baked Belly Pork ‘Kongbak’ bao-buns (x6 )

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Learnt this from a Hongkong cookbook years ago whilst a student and it’s always been a favourite recipe of mine. A novelty dish and an occasional treat for me. There are various recipes online but mine is twiced-cooked! So this should be a healthier dish as the fat is boiled away first before baking it.

Ingredients:

500g Belly pork, bought pre-cut or cut into 3-4 inch pieces (to fit the bao-buns)

1 knob ginger, smashed

Marinade:

1 5"long cinnamon stick

3 star anise (or cloves)

1 knob ginger - minced

5 tbsp cooking rice wine (or wine vinegar)

4 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp chilli sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp 5-spice powder

3-4 chillies – chopped finely (or 1 tsp chilli powder)

½ tsp white pepper powder

Garnish:

Honey – for drizzle

Spring onions – chopped

Red chillies – finely chopped (optional)

Method:

1. Place the meat pieces in a pot of cold water with the smashed ginger and bring to the boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 40 mins.

2. Drain and cool the meat and marinade with the ingredients in a low baking dish for at least a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Ensure all the meat are covered by the marinade.

3. Take the meat out from the fridge and preheat the oven to 180 deg C.

4. Cover the dish with foil and bake for at least 45 mins till eat is tender, basking the marinade over the meat at intervals during the bake.

5. Uncover the foil and bake for another 5-10 mins at 200 degC to get a slight crust on the meat.

6. Drizzle honey over the meat and garnish with spring onions before serving. ENJOY!

Bao-buns

Ingredients:

250g plain flour

125g water

3g instant yeast powder

10g sugar

½ tbsp oil

Method:

1. Mix sugar and yeast together in water till dissolved.

2. Add flour and mix to a smooth dough.

3. Add oil to dough and knead till smooth, pliable and non-sticky.

4. Roll out the dough to a rectangle of ½ cm thick with a rolling pin.

5. Then roll the dough from the bottom upwards into a roll with your hands and cut into equal pieces. (I did 9 pieces here - you can freeze any extra ones).

6. Form each piece into a ball with your hands and then roll into an oval shape. (see my instagram video).

7. Brush the surface with oil and fold into a semi-circle.

8. Place the shaped buns on lined paper in a steamer for at least 30 mins (depending on temperature/climate) till nearly doubled in size.

9. Steam on high heat for 15 minutes. (You could bake them too at a low temperature in the oven – 120 deg C for 20 mins? I have yet to try it)

10. Leave buns inside the steamer for another 10 minutes without opening the lid. Serve warm with the baked pork and some salad.

ENJOY!