CHAR SIU BAO (BBQ PORK BUNS)

Make the filling at least one hour — preferably one day — before assembling. Combine oyster sauce, hoisin, soy sauce, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the slaked cornstarch and stir until the sauce thickens to a glossy paste that parts cleanly when a spoon is drawn through it. Fold in the diced char siu and sesame oil. Transfer to a container, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely cold. The filling must be cold — firm enough to hold a mounded shape — before it is enclosed in dough.

For the steamed bun dough: combine flour, yeast, baking powder, and sugar. Rub in the lard or shortening until no visible pieces remain. Add the water gradually and bring together into a dough. Knead until the surface is smooth and very slightly tacky — not stiff, not sticky. For the baked bun dough: combine flour, yeast, and sugar; rub in the butter; add the egg and water and knead to a smooth, slightly enriched dough with a faint brioche-like suppleness. Cover each dough and rest until noticeably puffy, approximately 1 hour.

Divide the rested dough into 12 equal portions. Working one portion at a time, flatten each into a round approximately 10 cm in diameter, keeping the centre slightly thicker than the edges. Place a level tablespoon of cold filling in the centre. For steamed buns: gather the dough upward, pleat and pinch firmly at the top to create a completely airtight seal, then twist off any excess. For baked buns: gather and pinch the seal, then place each bun sealed-side down on a parchment-lined tray. Any gap in the seal will open dramatically during cooking — press and pinch until no light is visible through the join.

This is where the dish lives or dies. Proof the shaped buns for 15–20 minutes. At the end of this period the buns should have expanded by approximately 50% and the dough surface should appear slightly puffy and dull rather than tight and shiny. A surface that is still taut and glossy means the buns need more time; a surface that is visibly slack or beginning to wrinkle means fermentation has gone too far. Steam or bake immediately when the dull, puffy appearance is reached — waiting further causes over-fermentation; acting too soon produces dense, unsprung buns.

For steamed buns: place each bun on its parchment square inside a bamboo steamer set over vigorously boiling water. Steam for 12–15 minutes without lifting the lid at any point — cold air introduced during steaming causes collapse and wrinkling. At the end of cooking, turn off the heat and rest the buns in the steamer with the lid slightly ajar for 2 minutes before serving. A properly cooked bun will be pure white and pillowy with a characteristic split at the top; it will sound softly hollow when tapped on the base.

For baked buns: brush the proofed buns evenly with beaten egg wash. Bake in an oven preheated to 190°C until the surface is an even golden brown with a glossy sheen — approximately 15–18 minutes. The top should be smooth, not cracked or pale. A bun that is pale needs more time; a cracked surface indicates the seal was imperfect or the dough proofed insufficiently.

Press a finished bun gently at the side. The dough should yield and rebound softly. A dense or rubbery resistance indicates under-leavening or over-proofing. The interior filling should be cohesive and glossy, intensely savoury-sweet with the caramelised character of the char siu, encased in dough that is distinctly light and slightly sweet.