Bao Bun Food Truck
Recipe by: Nolan Adimulam
Bao Buns
Ingredients
300 g all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon Royal Baking powder
1 teaspoon white sugar
165 g lukewarm milk
Oil – for brushing
Method
- Stand-mixer Method: Add flour, instant yeast, baking powder, sugar and water/milk to the mixing bowl (see note 2 if using dry active yeast or fresh yeast). Mix and knead with a dough hook on low speed for 8-10 minutes until a smooth dough forms.
Shape the bao buns - Rolling pin method: Roll the dough into a rope. Divide into 8-12 equal pieces. Roll them into balls then flatten each with a rolling pin into an oval shape, about ⅕ inch (½ cm) thick (dust with flour when necessary to prevent sticking). Brush a thin layer of oil over half of the oval then fold over lengthways.
- Stand-mixer Method: Add flour, instant yeast, baking powder, sugar and water/milk to the mixing bowl (see note 2 if using dry active yeast or fresh yeast). Mix and knead with a dough hook on low speed for 8-10 minutes until a smooth dough forms.
- Rest
- Line the steamer baskets with perforated parchment paper or silicone steamer liners (or oil the surface if using metal or plastic steamers). Place the bao buns over leaving enough space in between for expansion.
- Leave to proof for about 30 minutes (see note 4) until the buns become a little bigger, plumper and feel lighter in weight.
Steam - Add 2 cups (500ml) of water to the wok or pot that you use for steaming. Place the baskets on top (you may stack up several and cook all at once). Cover with a lid.
- Firstly, cook over high heat. As soon as the water starts to boil (when you see steam coming out through gaps), turn the heat to medium-low. From this moment, steam for 10 minutes
Filling for Buns
300g white chocolate
100ml cream
Crackle Tops
Ingredients
20g butter
20g sugar
20g flour
1 egg
15 ml coffee
Method
- Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg and mix in flour and coffee. Pipe over buns, dust over icing sugar and bake for 20 mins at 160 degrees Celsius.
Caramel
1/2 cup Sugar
50 g butter
1/2 cup cream
Salt to taste
Sticky Pork Belly
1 kg (2.2lb) rindless pork belly slices – chopped in half (each piece being approx. the length of your index finger)
1 litre (4+ ¼ cups) hot chicken stock
1 thumb sized piece of ginger – peeled and minced (or 1 tbsp of ginger puree)
3 cloves garlic – peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp caster sugar
Glaze
2 tbsp vegetable oil
pinch of salt and pepper
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger – peeled and minced
1 red chilli – finely chopped
2 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp dark soy sauces
1 tsp lemon grass paste
To Serve
Chopped red chillies
Chopped spring onion
- Add pork belly slices, stock, ginger, garlic, rice wine and sugar to a heavy-based pan. I use a cast iron casserole pan.
- Bring to the boil, then place a lid on, turn down the heat and simmer for 2 hours.
- Turn off the heat, remove the pork from the pan and pat it dry using kitchen towels. You can reserve the liquid if you like (Perfect for a Thai or Chinese noodle soup).
- Chop the pork into bite sized chunks.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 tbsp of the oil, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, the ginger, chilli, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce and lemongrass paste.
Radish Pickle
Ingredients
100 ml rice wine Vinegar
100ml water
1/2 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
1 clove
2 black peppercorns
500g radishes
Method
- Boil liquids and pour over thinly sliced radishes.
Apple Cucumber and Fennel Salad
Ingredients
1 Granny Smith apple
1 small fennel bulb
1/2 cucumber
Oil
Lemon juice
Method
- Slice the apple, fennel and cucumber thinly and dress with oil and lemon juice.
