Char-siu-bao

Ingredients:

Dough

• 2.5 cups (250 g) cake flour + extra for working with the dough
• 0.5 cups (60 g) sugar
• 2 tsp (7 g) baking powder
• 2 tsp (7 g) dry yeast
• 1 tbsp lard at room temperature
• Neutral vegetable oil to grease the bowl

Filling

• 2 cups Cantonese char siu, finely diced (see recipe below)
• 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
• Half a red onion, thinly sliced
• Half a red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• Half a green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 10 green onions, cut in half
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp (40 ml) oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp (40 ml) liquid soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (20 ml) dark soy sauce
• 4.5 tsp (25 g) potato starch
• 4.5 tsp (25 g) cornstarch

Marinade

• 0.5 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1/4 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. l. ketchup
• 1/3 cup oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp sherry
• 1 tbsp. grated ginger root
• 1 tbsp red yeast rice powder*
• 0.5 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated
• 900 g pork shoulder (top)
• Special equipment: 6-liter air fryer; bamboo steamer

Glaze

• 0.5 cup honey, maltose syrup or barley malt syrup

Preparation:

1. Dough:
   
   Attach the dough hook to a stand mixer. In the bowl of the mixer, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and yeast until evenly combined. Attach the bowl to the mixer and turn it on low speed. Add 0.5 cups of water and let it absorb into the flour mixture, then increase the speed to medium.
2. Knead the dough, scraping down the sides of the bowl every minute, until it forms a ball, is smooth, and soft to the touch, 8–10 minutes. Add the lard and knead for another 3–5 minutes, until smooth. The dough ball should be round but soft to the touch. Place it in a large, greased bowl, cover tightly, and let it rise at room temperature for about 1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
3. Filling:
   
   Place the char siu in a medium bowl and set aside.
4. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Add the onion, red and green bell peppers, and scallions and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Combine the sugar, oyster sauce, liquid and dark soy sauce, and 1 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar and cook for 2–3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove all the vegetables and discard. You only needed to extract their flavor for the sauce.
5. Combine potato starch, cornstarch, and 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl to form a paste. Combine the paste with the sauce in the skillet and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring with a spatula, until a thick paste forms, about 3 minutes. Spoon the paste into the prepared bowl with the pork and stir until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and roll it into a ball on a lightly floured work surface. Gently pull the edges in until you have a loose rectangle. Roll the rectangle out to a thickness of 1 cm. Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 5 cm-wide pieces.
7. Flatten each piece of dough with the palm of your hand and roll it out with a rolling pin into a 8 cm thick circle. Place 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each circle. Gather the dough around the filling like a bag. Lift the folds upward and twist tightly. Place each bao on a parchment-lined sheet.
8. Assemble the bamboo steamer and bring the water to a boil. Steam the buns, covered, for 8 minutes; leave the lid on. Serve warm.
   
   Note *
   
   Red yeast rice (koji) is a fermented rice used as a coloring agent.

9. Char siu in Cantonese

   
   Marinade
   
   Combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce, sugar, honey, sherry, ginger, red rice powder, Chinese five-spice powder, and garlic in a blender and blend on low speed for about 30 seconds until smooth. Set aside 1/4 cup of the marinade for the glaze and pour the remaining marinade into a large bowl or baking dish to marinate the pork. Cut the pork into 8x2-inch strips. Place the strips in the marinade, massage well, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
   
   Glaze
   
   In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of marinade with honey until smooth. Thin the glaze to the consistency of thick syrup, adding a little water if necessary. This glaze is used to brush the pork after roasting to preserve its juiciness and add a sweet, glossy finish.
10. Preheat a 6-liter air fryer on full power to 175°C.
11. Remove the pork from the marinade and shake off any excess. Cook the pork until golden brown and crispy around the edges, and until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 165°F (74°C), about 15 minutes. Brush the pork with the glaze on all sides and cook for about 5 more minutes.