Wouldn’t you want to enjoy hot, steamy baos that are soft as pillows from the comfort of your homes during these unprecedented times? So let’s get going with my rendition of sticky pork bao that are extremely mouth-watering and delicious.
Ingredients
For the Braising of the Pork
- 555gm pork belly
- ¼ cup soya sauce
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 8 cups water
- 10 garlic cloves
- 2-inch ginger
- 2 medium size onions
- ½ of star anise flower
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp pepper powder
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 pieces of 2-inch cinnamon sticks
- 2 tsp chilli flakes
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp sugar
- Tin Foil
For the Dough
- 2 ½ cups or 200 gm all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp active yeast
- ¼ cup warm milk
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
Method
Braising of the pork
1.In a heated deep sauté pan, add the soya sauce and vinegar.
2.After the soya sauce and vinegar starts simmering, add the water and onions, crushed garlic and ginger. (Make sure not to peel the garlic and ginger)
3.Add in the dry ingredients after the water starts boiling.
4.Then put the pork belly inside the liquid and make sure that the pork is completely covered in the liquid.
5. Cover the pan with its lid. To make sure that it is airtight, place a sheet of tin foil on the pan and cover it.
6.Let it braise for 3 hours on low heat.
7.After the Braising is over, Pour the pork and liquid into a container and refrigerate it over-night.
For the Bao Dough
8.Combine the milk and water and add the yeast and sugar. Let it rest till the yeast becomes active.
9.After around 5 minutes, combine the wet ingredients with the flour. Knead it for 8 minutes.
10.Let the dough rest for 2 hours.
The Finale
11.Remove the Pork that has been resting over-night from the container and slice it. Make sure to store the liquid because this is pure gold and can be used as sauces for several dishes.
12.In a pan over medium heat, add in the sliced pork and ½ cup of the liquid. After the liquid has evaporated, and the pork has become juicy keep it aside.
13.Take the dough after 2 hours and roll it until it becomes a large circle, about ½ cm thick.
14.Take a bowl of around 12 cm diameter and cut circles from the rolled-out dough.
15.Apply oil on one side of all the small circles and fold it in half. Steam these for 20 min.
16.After the Baos are ready, add in pork slices inside the folds and you can even add some pickled cucumber and onions to give it an extra zing.