Bao buns

• 300 gr white flour
• 1 ts sugar
• 1 ts dried yeast
• 30 ml milk
• 2 ts sunflower oil
• 1 ts rice vinegar
• 1 ts baking powder

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl
2. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm milk, then let it sit for 5-7 min.
3. Add the yeast mixture to the flour, add the oil, vinegar and 110 ml water.
4. Mix well then knead the dough for 10 min or until it's very smooth. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and let it rest in a warm place for 2 hours.
5. Cut the dough into pieces ( about 8-10 buns ) and shape them into balls.
6. Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball, one by one, into an oval shape about 3-4mm thick. Rub the surface of the dough ovals with oil and brush a little oil over a chopstick
7. Place the oiled chopstick in the centre of each oval. Fold the dough over the chopstick, then slowly pull out the chopstick.
8. Cut squares of baking parchment and put a bun on each. Transfer to a baking tray, cover with a clean tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hr 30 mins, or until doubled in size.
9. Heat a large steamer over medium-high heat. Steam the buns for 8 mins until puffed up (you’ll need to do this in batches).

• 200 gr beef brisket
• 4 tb vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tb grated ginger
• the juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/2 lemongrass stalk
• half of a cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 3 tb coconut cream
• 1 hot chilli
• sugar and salt to taste
• 1 ts baking powder

Method

1. Fry the meat in a pan until it gets nice and brown.
2. Throw in there the star anise, cloves, ginger, chilli, cinnamon and garlic. Let the spices fry a bit but don't let the garlic burn.
3. Add some water to cover the meat and the coconut cream. Season with salt and sugar. Squeeze the half lemon in.
4. Cover and let it simmer for about 1h30 or until the meat is tender. In the meantime, keep adding water if the liquid is evaporating too much.
5. Take the lid off and let all the liquid evaporate and the meat to fry. By then, the meat should be very tender and come apart. Remove the star anise, cinnamon stick, and the lemongrass before using.

• 250 gr mushrooms
• 3 tb vegetable oil
• 2 tb soy sauce
• 1 tb rice vinegar
• 1 tb fish oil
• 1 ts sugar

Method

1. Remove the mushrooms' legs and place them flat in a hot non-stick pan. Season with salt. Mix the rest of the ingredients and once the mushrooms start to get some colour, add the mixture in the pan.
2. Let the mushrooms cook until the liquid evaporates. Flip them from time to time so they cook evenly.

• 3 tb Japanese mayo
• 1 ts gochujang sauce
• 1 ts soy sauce
• coriander leaves
• spring onion
• chopped peanuts

Method

1. Mix the mayo, gochujang and soy sauce.
2. On each bao add about 1 ts of sauce, beef or mushroom filling, then top with spring onions, fresh coriander and chopped peanuts