Pork and Mushroom Bánh bao
Ingredients
- 500 gWheat flour (sifted)
- 250 mlWhole milk (lukewarm)
- 20 gFresh baker's yeast
- 50 gWhite sugar
- 400 gGround pork
- 30 gwood ear mushroom (rehydrated and chopped)
- 1 pcOnion (finely minced)
- 2 pcEgg (hard-boiled and quartered)
- 2 tbspoyster sauce
- 1 tbspsoy sauce
- 1 tspSesame oil
- 1 pinchBlack pepper ground
- 2 pcChinese sausage (Lap Xuong) (thinly sliced)
Method
A snow-white bun, incredibly soft to the touch. Inside, a juicy filling where pork meets the crunch of wood ear mushrooms, with a surprise hard-boiled egg at the center.
- 1
Dissolve the fresh baker's yeast in the lukewarm whole milk. Let it rest for 10 minutes until a light foam appears on the surface.
- 2
Mix the wheat flour, white sugar, and the milk-yeast mixture. Knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticks to your fingers. Let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.
- 3
Chop the onion and rehydrated wood ear mushrooms. Mix with the ground pork, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Slice the Chinese sausages (Lap Xuong) into thin rounds.
- 4
Degas the dough and divide it into 8 balls. Roll each ball into a disk, place a spoonful of filling, a hard-boiled egg quarter, and a slice of Chinese sausage in the center. Fold the edges upwards and pinch to seal.
- 5
Place the buns in a steamer basket on squares of parchment paper. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes. The bun should be puffy and spring back when pressed with a finger.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get this dish right?
- Add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the steaming water to achieve a brilliant white dough.
- Do not lift the lid during cooking; the thermal shock will cause the buns to collapse.
How long does this dish keep?
Can be kept for 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat strictly by steaming to restore the fluffiness.
