Author Suzie Lee says: “Bao buns have been popping up on menus all over the world. I have grown up knowing and eating them. In Hong Kong, they are known as cha bao as they are usually pierced with a fork or toothpick to keep the fillings in. You can now buy bao buns in the supermarket, but making them from scratch is quite easy and very satisfying.”

Makes: 16 bao buns

Prep: 40 minutes, plus 30 minutes proving time

Cook: 45 minutes– 1 hour

Ingredients

• Bao buns (or see the Bao Buns recipes on page 11) 16

For the pork belly:

• Slow-roast pork belly, cut into bite-sized pieces 600 g (1 lb 5 oz)

For the glaze:

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 20g (¾ oz) piece of fresh ginger root
• 1 large garlic clove, grated
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar 
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional) 

For the pickled vegetables:

• 1 cucumber cut lengthways into 5 cm (2 in) julienne, seeds scraped out using  teaspoon
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 200 g (7 oz) granulated sugar
• 200 ml (7 fl oz/scant 1 cup) rice wine vinegar
• 30 g (1 oz) piece of fresh root ginger, thinly sliced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut lengthways into 5 cm (2 in) matchsticks
• ¼ white cabbage, thinly shredded

To serve

• Spring onions (scallions), to garnish
• 1 green (bell) pepper, cut into thin strips
• 2 large handfuls salad leaves

Method

To prepare the pickled vegetables put the cucumber in a sieve or colander and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of the salt. Leave for at least 10–15 minutes. Pat the cucumber dry with thick paper towel. Put a saucepan on a set of scales and add 100 g (3½ oz) water, the sugar, rice wine vinegar, the remaining teaspoon of salt and the sliced ginger and bring to the boil for 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Place the vegetables in a clean heatproof jar and pour the pickling liquid over the veg, making sure they are submerged. Leave to cool before sealing.

Set up a steamer, half-fill the pan with water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Line the perforated section of the steamer with a disc of baking parchment pierced with holes. Place four buns on a heatproof dish in the steamer on top of baking parchment, then put another sheet of parchment on top. Steam over a high heat for 12–15 minutes. While the buns are steaming, make the glaze. Place all the ingredients in a pan and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, then toss in the pork pieces and coat. To serve, open the bao sandwich and fill with the pork, some pickled veg and spring onions, peppers and salad leaves. Repeat

From Simply Chinese by Suzie Lee (£20, Hardie Grant)

Author Jennifer Joyce says: “Never discount the hidden food treasures inside Japan’s train stations and airports. There are gems to be found: Michelin-starred restaurants, izakayas and stellar ramen joints. I discovered katsu burgers before catching a flight and was soon salivating over the crisp, panko-coated prawn patties tucked in a bun with chilli mayo and crunchy cabbage. Why not take it a step further with a soft bao?”

Makes 12 small burgers

Prep: 20 minutes plus 1 hour chilling 

Cook: 5 minutes 

Ingredients

• 400 g (14 oz) raw peeled prawns
• 4 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 40 g (11/2 oz) soft fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 50 g (2 oz) plain flour
• 100 g (31/2 oz) panko breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Steamed bao buns (recipe below)

For the cabbage slaw:

• 2 handfuls finely shredded cabbage
• 8 red or 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

For the chilli mayo:

• 1 tbsp hot chilli sauce
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp sesame seeds

Method

First make the cabbage slaw. In a bowl, combine the cabbage, radishes and vinegar. Add some sea salt and toss together.

To a food processor add half the prawns, the spring onion, soy and ginger and pulse until pureed. Roughly chop the remaining prawns and add to the mixture along with the fresh breadcrumbs. Form into 12 burgers.

Place the eggs, flour and panko breadcrumbs, crushed until fine, in three separate shallow dishes. Dip the burgers into the flour, then egg, then cover in panko breadcrumbs. Repeat with all the burgers.

Place on a plate covered with baking paper, cover with more paper and then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until frying (I find they stay together better if they have an hour in the refrigerator before you fry them).

Mix all the chilli mayo ingredients together in a small bowl and then set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or deep medium saucepan until it reaches 180–190°C (350–375°F) or when a small piece of bread instantly sizzles. Have a wire rack set on top of a baking tray to drain the burgers, then fry them four or five at a time for about 2–3 minutes until they turn golden.

Serve the bao buns stuffed with the katsu, some chilli mayo and the cabbage slaw.

How to make the bao buns

Makes 12 large buns or 16 smaller

Prep: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour proving

Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 100 ml (31/2 fl oz) milk
• 90 ml (3 fl oz) warm water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra
• 11/2 tsp fast-action yeast
• 350 g (12 oz) plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

Method

In a pouring jug, mix together the milk, warm water, vegetable oil and yeast. Leave to sit for 5 minutes to check if the yeast bubbles up (it’s a good test to see if your yeast is working).

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer with a dough hook, add the dry ingredients. With the motor running on low speed, pour in the liquid. Let it come together as a ball of dough and if it sticks to the bottom, then sprinkle in an extra tablespoon or so of flour.

Knead for 10 minutes on the same low speed. You can also do this by hand using a large mixing bowl and spoon, kneading the dough on the counter for 10 minutes.

Remove the dough and place in a lightly oiled bowl for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Cover with plastic wrap.

Knock the dough back, knead for another 2 minutes, and then cut into 12–16 balls and place under a tea towel to stay soft while rolling. Use scissors to cut 10 cm (4 inch) squares of non-stick baking paper for each ball. Roll each ball into an elliptical shape about 15 cm (6 inches) long and 8 cm (31/2 inches) wide. Brush the tops lightly with vegetable oil, fold over and place each on a square of paper. Add to the steamer, then place the lid on the steamer so that they are covered. Leave to rise for a second time, about 30 minutes–1 hour depending on the heat of your kitchen.

Pour water in the bottom of a wok or if you are using a metal steamer, pour water into the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and then place the steamer on top. Steam for about 8 minutes or until puffy and firm.

Note: if you want to prepare these more than 4–6 hours in advance, I would suggest freezing them cooked and then steaming again from frozen. This keeps them from going stale. You can also store in an airtight container, covered in baking paper, up to a day before using. Once open, they need to be used quickly as they go stale fast.

From My Asian Kitchen by Jennifer Joyce (£20, Murdoch Books)

Author Jo Pratt says: “Chinese bao buns (pronounced ‘bow’) are slightly sweet, steamed fluffy dough pockets filled with a savoury treat. Traditionally the buns are made using yeast in the dough, which requires kneading and rising before steaming. Since most of us are time poor, I’ve put together a quicker ‘cheats’ version. As the dough has a sweetness to it, the filling benefits from a powerful punch of flavour provided by the sticky hoisin aubergine.”

Time taken: 50 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the pickled carrot:

• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

For the buns:

• 200g/7 oz self-raising (self-rising) flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tbsp honey or agave syrup
• 1 tsp flaked sea salt
• Sunflower or rapeseed (canola) oil, for brushing

For the filling:

• 1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed (canola) oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 large aubergine (eggplant), cut into 1cm/½ inch dice
• 5 spring onions (scallions), thickly sliced
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Method

First of all, pickle the carrot. Put the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring so the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and pour over the carrot. Mix well and set aside for the carrot to ‘pickle’.

To make the bao buns, mix the flour, honey or agave syrup, salt and 100ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup cold water until it forms a soft pliable dough. Dust the worktop with a little flour and knead the dough for a few minutes until it becomes smooth. Divide equally into 8 pieces and roll each one out to form an oval shape about 10 x 5cm/4½ x 2 inches. Brush the surface lightly with oil and fold in half. Continue with the remaining dough.

Set up a steamer to cook the buns. If you have a bamboo one, that is great as the excess moisture gets absorbed into the wood. If you are using a metal steamer on top of a pan, put a piece of baking parchment in the base of the steamer and wrap the lid in a clean tea towel to absorb excess moisture and prevent the buns becoming soggy. Sit the buns slightly apart from one another in the steamer. Cover with a lid and steam for 10 minutes until puffed up and bouncy when lightly pressed.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the oils in a frying pan. Add the aubergine and toss around until golden and tender, adding a splash of water if it starts to burn. Add the spring onions and fry for a minute or so before adding the hoisin sauce and 2 tablespoons water. Cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce becomes thick and gives a sticky coating to the aubergine.

Once the bao buns are cooked, remove from the steamer, gently open up and fill with the sticky aubergine mixture and some pickled carrot. Scatter with sesame seeds and serve hot.

Flexible options:

Gluten-free: use a gluten-free self-raising (self-rising) flour and add 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder. Mix to a smooth dough as per the recipe but there is no need to knead the dough for long due to the lack of gluten in the flour. Steam as above.

Pescatarian: fry some sliced spring onions (scallions) and grated ginger in sunflower oil, add 200g/7 oz raw prawns and toss until cooked. Flavour with some Szechuan, sweet and sour or hoisin sauce.

From The Flexible Family Cookbook by Jo Pratt (£20 White Lion Publishing).