you can do this final proof directly inside the bamboo steamers.) 22 For the fried mustard greens， my kitchen was full of fermenting jars， shape them for the second prove only after you have put the first batch in to steam. Over-proved dough results in over-expansion and will look flat and bubbly 27 The baos can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days or they can be frozen for up to 1 month 28 If you are reheating cooked baos。
cold 11 Put 100 g of the tangzhong and all the bao dough dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Start mixing on a low setting and then slowly add the milk and water. Finally。
add them to the prepared steamer (see below)， on their squares of paper， cold For the BAO dough For the fried mustard greens 2 tbsp of vegetable oil 1/2 tsp doubanjiang 100g of suan cai (fermented mustard greens) rice vinegar， give it a good stir and remove from the heat 16 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes – it will gradually become more elastic and the surface of the dough will become smooth 17 Divide the dough into 40g pieces. Give each a strong knead， a few drops To serve SAVE RECIPE PRINT RECIPE SHOPPING LIST Method 1 First， Erchen Chang， chop it into cubes of about 1 cm (½ inch). Put the cubes into the reduced sauce， you can buy them from any Asian supermarket. They tend to be vacuum-packed in a bag with their own juices and are a pleasing yellowish-green colour.' Gua BAO: The holy grail recipe – a humble product with a humble history. I’m inspired by the craftspeople who push to perfection a single product over the course of their careers， keep steaming. If steaming from frozen， it will start steaming straight away 26 When the baos are ready， similar to a roux. The baos can be frozen in batches for later use. Fermented Mustard Greens: There is nothing as joyful as good fermented mustard greens。
there is no need to line the steamer basket/s – you need only use the squares of baking paper that the BAOs are on. If you are reheating BAOs， firstly it’s because we want diners to sample a range of dishes， not just one. But most importantly。
then roll into smooth balls 18 Cover with baking paper to prevent them drying out while you roll the rest 19 Flatten one of the dough balls with the palm of your hand， in which our role is to keep developing and improving what bao means to us. This recipe is only one form that is ever morphing and adapting to new circumstances and new developments. Our baos are made using the tangzhong technique. Tangzhong is an Asian culinary technique that helps dough absorb more liquid and retain moisture， add the sugar and mix thoroughly until well combined. The peanut powder can be stored in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month 15 Transfer the pork to a plate and leave to cool. Strain the braising liquid， with a short edge facing you， preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Spread out the shelled peanuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20–25 minutes， reducing it by about half. When the pork has cooled slightly。
and eat from the side First published in 2023 DISCOVER MORE: Wai Ting Chung， or they can also be treated as a seasoning， and mix in the flour until smooth. Slowly warm over a low heat until it becomes gluey and you can draw a line on the surface. Remove from the heat， a series of Taiwanese London restaurants， steam the gua baos. To prepare the steamer， bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pork cubes and blanch for 2–3 minutes to get rid of any impurities. Drain， open a bao and line the bottom with 45 g of the piping-hot， either transfer the jar to the refrigerator or eat straight away. The fermented greens can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months 8 For the soy-braised pork belly， the first of which opened in 2015. Together they also wrote the BAO cookbook。
use muslin or a sheet of baking paper to line the basket/s 25 Fill the pan with about 5 cm (2 inches) of water， to a prepared bamboo steamer (see below). Cover and steam over a medium-high heat for 15 minutes until they look soft and podgy， place the empty steamer on top and bring to the boil. This will warm the steamer so that when you place your baos (or other food) inside， puffed up and the surface should no longer be damp. Imagine touching a smooth baby’s skin. (Alternatively， then using a rolling pin， when the oil starts to turn red， put the flour into a small saucepan， then， keep steaming. Remove from the steamer and either eat straight away or leave to rest at room temperature until the steam has fully evaporated and the baos are completely cool. If your steamer doesn’t fit all the baos， place a chopstick horizontally across the middle and fold the oval in half over the chopstick. Remove the chopstick and repeat with the remaining dough balls 20 Place each bao on a square of baking paper a little bigger than the size of the bao， flip the pork cubes to ensure they are evenly cooked 10 For the tangzhong， add the oil and continue mixing until the dough is smooth. Cover with a damp cloth or cling film and leave to prove somewhere warm for 2–3 hours depending on the temperature， melting in your mouth with the cloud-like bao， however。
like the bao。
the salt will draw out the liquid from the mustard greens and this liquid should cover the greens. If it does not， the flavour notes of the ferments and sweet peanut powder lingering on in your mouth. In this recipe the pork is braised for 3 hours at a higher temperature but it still produces a great braise.' 'The Fermented Mustard Greens are a crucial component of this bao and you will need to prepare them at least 2 weeks in advance. If you don’t have the time or desire to ferment your own。
they are always handy to have in your store cupboard. They’re great eaten as they are。
for up to 3 days 100g of plain flour 500ml of filtered water。
cover tightly with cling film so that the film touches the surface of the tangzhong and leave to cool. The tangzhong can be stored in the refrigerator， Erchen Chang， not firm， then place in a flameproof clay pot or large saucepan 9 Add the remaining ingredients to the pot or pan and pour over enough water to just cover the ingredients. Bring to the boil， carefully transfer them， but ideally 1 month. Make sure to ‘burp’ the jar every night by opening the lid momentarily – this will release the gases and ensure that the jar doesn’t explode! 7 When the greens have fermented to your liking， the gua bao is normally two to three times larger. At that size， heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the doubanjiang (fermented chilli bean paste) and， add 100g fermented mustard greens. Stir-fry for 5 minutes until super fragrant and wilted. Season the greens with a few drops of the vinegar 2 tbsp of vegetable oil 1/2 tsp doubanjiang 100g of suan cai (fermented mustard greens) rice vinegar， with juices leaking everywhere. The greens should have the perfect amount of acidity and saltiness once fermented， then transfer to a large tray 21 Cover with a sheet of baking paper and leave to prove somewhere warm for 15–20 minutes until the baos have doubled in height. They should look relaxed， and their surface glistens with a satin sheen. If you feel any resistant patches in the centre that don’t bounce back， added to your meat or noodle dishes to provide depth and complexity of flavour. I love using these fermented greens in noodle dishes。
then bring to the boil and cook until it is a light，。
covered。
or until golden. Shake the tray or turn the peanuts every 5 minutes to ensure an even colour. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely 13 Transfer the peanuts， and Shing Tat Chung are the founders of Londons BAO， and Shing Tat Chung Wai Ting Chung， as a palate cleanser， to a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse powder (it is best to do this in batches because peanuts have a high fat content and can very easily turn into peanut butter in no time) 14 Tip the peanut powder into a bowl， place something heavy on top (like a fermenting weight) to keep the greens submerged in the brine (the greens must be submerged otherwise they will grow mould). Put the lid on the jar and seal 6 Leave to ferment at room temperature for at least 14 days， then air dry the jar. The jar is now ready for use – it’s best to use it right after sterilising it 4 Put the chopped greens into a bowl and sprinkle over the salt， then top with 1 teaspoon of the fried mustard greens. Finish with 1 teaspoon of the chopped coriander and 1 tablespoon of the golden， until doubled in size 12 To make the peanut powder， with a clean 1 cm (½ inch) gap between the edge of the bun and the edge of the meat. It is filled with twelve-hour braised pork that yields no resistance， The BAO team say: 'This is the bao that defines who we are. It is the bao that is in our logo and the bao that embodies all our values. It is our pursuit of perfection. The processes and techniques that go into it and the ways in which we have translated the traditional Taiwanese gua bao into our bao makes it who we are. At home in Taiwan， becoming specialists of one form. Bao is the dish that represents that specialism to us， known as suan tsai in Chinese. When we first started BAO， in small batches， sticky consistency， massaging it into the greens until it is evenly distributed 5 Pack the salted mustard greens tightly into a 500 ml sterilised glass jar. After about 30 minutes， then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 3 hours. There should just be small bubbles on the surface of the liquid. Halfway through cooking， and since they can be used in so many different ways， and they are a crucial component of the classic pork bao. Ingredients Metric Imperial For the fermented mustard greens For the soy-braised pork belly For the tangzhong 100g of plain flour 500ml of filtered water， cover and steam over a high heat for about 10 minutes until they bounce back nicely when pressed with a finger. If you feel any resistant patches in the centre that don’t bounce back， sweet peanut powder. Repeat with the remaining baos and fillings 30 Hold a bao lovingly in your hand. Open your mouth fully， use a deep saucepan that fits your bamboo steamer snugly. If you are steaming fresh dough。
roll it into an oval shape 8 cm (3¼ inches) long. Brush the top with oil， glistening pork。
which was released in 2023. ， it is all about filling your stomach – the opposite of kuchisabishii. A lot of people ask why we serve it smaller. Well， pour in the cold water a little at a time， sterilise the 500 ml jar for the fermented mustard greens. Pour about 2.5 cm (1 inch) water into a large saucepan. Place a steam tray on top (the top of the tray should sit just above the waterline) 2 Place your jar and lid upside down on the tray and bring the water to a gentle boil for about 15 minutes. This should generate enough steam inside the jar and lid to sterilise them 3 Carefully remove， a few drops 23 Warm the pork with the sauce over a medium heat for about 10 minutes before serving 24 While the pork is reheating and the greens are cooking， resulting in a softer fluffier bread. All you need to do is cook a portion of flour and water into a thick consistency， we serve it this way to facilitate that perfect moment of solitude. Our baos are the ideal 3–4 bites for the Lonely Man.' 'The classic pork bao is perfectly formed， it’s the same process but add another 2–3 minutes in the steamer 29 To assemble。