Caramel-Braised Pork Belly Gua Bao with Milk Buns

Method

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm milk, add the flour, baking powder and lard, bring together and knead for 10 min until smooth and springy. Milk and lard give whiter buns with a finer, softer crumb.

   Add in this stepAll-purpose flour 100 gMilk, warmed to 35 °C 58 mlInstant dry yeast ½ tspSugar (for the dough) 12 gBaking powder ¼ tspLard, soft 1 tsp

2. Cover the dough and leave it somewhere warm for 1 h. Meanwhile, put the pork belly in one piece in a 18 cm pot of cold water with the spring onion and some of the ginger, bring to the boil on high heat and blanch for 5 min. Lift it out, rinse in warm water to wash off the scum and scrape off any bristles on the skin with a knife.

   Add in this stepSkin-on pork belly, in one piece 300 gSpring onion (white part) 1Fresh ginger 4.8 g

   high heat

3. Wipe out the pot, add some of the oil and the rock sugar and stir on medium-low heat for 3 min until it melts into a deep amber caramel; if it turns dark brown it will taste bitter, so move on straight away. Roll the pork in the caramel to coat, then add the rice wine, both soy sauces, star anise, cassia, the rest of the ginger and the water. Stand back as you pour; the caramel spits. Return to the boil, turn down to low heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 h 5 min.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil 0.6 tbspRock sugar 20 gShaoxing rice wine 2½ tbspLight soy sauce 2½ tbspDark soy sauce 1 tspStar anise 1Cassia bark (5 cm piece) ½Fresh ginger 7.2 gWater (for braising) 400 ml

   medium-low heat→low heat

4. Turn off the heat and leave the pork in its liquid for 15 minutes so it stays juicy. Lift it out and slice 1 cm thick. Strain the liquid into a pan and reduce on medium-high heat for 5 min until it is a syrupy glaze that coats the back of a spoon, then turn the slices in it until glossy.

   medium-high heat

5. Toast the raw peanuts in a dry pan on medium-low heat for 6 min, shaking constantly, until golden right through; cool and pound coarsely with the sugar. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil on medium heat and stir-fry the minced garlic, sliced chilli, the rinsed, squeezed and chopped mustard greens and the sugar for 3 min until dry and fluffy.

   Add in this stepRaw peanuts, skinned 30 gSugar (for the peanut powder) 2 tspNeutral oil 0.4 tbspGarlic clove (for the greens) 1Bird's eye chilli 1Pickled mustard greens (suan cai) 80 gSugar (for the greens) 1½ tsp

   medium-low heat→medium heat

6. Knock back the dough and divide it into ≈4 × 45 g pieces. Roll each into an oval (12 × 8 cm, 4 mm thick), brush one side thinly with oil and fold in half, then press a chopstick lightly along the folded edge to make a crease; this makes the buns easy to open after steaming. Set them on baking paper, cover with a damp cloth and prove for 20 min, until 1.5 times the size.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil (for brushing) ½ tsp

7. Steam in a 24 cm · 1× steamer over rapidly boiling water on medium-high heat for 10 min, then turn off the heat and wait 3 minutes before lifting the lid. A cooked bun springs straight back when pressed.

   medium-high heat

8. Open each bun, add a layer of mustard greens, 2 or 3 slices of glazed pork, plenty of peanut powder and cilantro, and serve warm.

   Add in this stepCilantro 10 g