Great aunty Fay’s cha siu bao

These popular Chinese barbecue pork buns get a twist, Girl's Guide style! Analiese takes inspiration from her Great Aunty Fay’s recipe and reinvents the dish by roasting the pork filling over a charcoal fire for extra smoky flavour.

Credit: A Girl's Guide To Hunting Fishing and Wild Cooking

• serves

  12

• prep

  3 hours

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork belly or shoulder
• ¼ bunch spring onions, finely chopped, plus spring onion curls to serve
• Chilli oil, to serve

For the marinade

• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 5 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fermented red bean curd
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1.5 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

For the dough

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 ½ tsp sugar
• ½ cup cold milk
• 2 ½ tsp yeast
• 3.5 cups plain flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup vegetable oil

Marinating time: 2 hours - overnight

Instructions

1. To make the marinade, combine the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Add the pork and turn to coat, then marinate for 2 hours, or overnight.
   
2. When ready to cook, cook the marinated pork (reserving the marinade) over a charcoal fire. Once cooked, remove to a cutting board and allow to cool, then finely chop. Stir the chopped pork through the reserved marinade, then refrigerate until completely cool. Fold through the spring onions.
   
3. To make the dough, in a large bowl, combine the hot water, sugar, milk and yeast and whisk to combine. Set aside until foamy. In a second large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Once the yeast is foamy, add to the flour mixture with the remaining dough ingredients. Knead to a sticky consistency. Once the dough is springy, transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and place in a warm spot, until doubled in size.
   
4. Knead the dough and portion into small balls. Roll the balls into rounds and fill with the seasoned pork mixture, pinching to enclose. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Place each bun onto a square of baking paper, then allow to prove before steaming.
   
5. Heat a large wok or frying pan of water to a simmer and place a steamer basket fitted over the top. Fill the steamer basket with the buns and steam for 20 minutes.
   
6. Serve the cha su baos with spring onion curls and chilli oil on the side.

Watch how to make this recipe in Episode 1 of A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking streaming free on SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.