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1
Combine the plain flour, instant yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Add the warm water gradually and mix to a shaggy dough, then knead until smooth. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky to the touch — not dry, not wet enough to stick to a clean hand.
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2
Cover the dough and rest at room temperature for 45–60 minutes. It is ready when it has doubled in volume and a finger pressed into the surface leaves an indent that does not spring back immediately.
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3
Mix the minced pork with the cubed pork stock jelly. The jelly cubes must hold their shape in the raw filling — if they begin to melt and pool, return the filling to the refrigerator until firm. A filling that has lost its jelly to pooling liquid will produce no soup burst.
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4
Divide the dough into equal portions and roll each into a round. Place a spoonful of filling in the centre of each round, then gather and pleat the dough around it, pinching firmly to seal. Place each bun seam-side down.
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5
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a flat, heavy skillet over medium heat. Arrange the buns in a single layer, seam-side down, without crowding. Fry for 2–3 minutes. The base is ready to receive the water when it turns a pale, beginning gold — not yet fully coloured.
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6
This is where the dish lives or dies: add the water to the pan all at once and cover immediately with a tight-fitting lid. Any delay allows steam to escape before the buns have begun to set. Steam undisturbed for 6–8 minutes. The buns are ready to uncover when all the water has been absorbed and no sound of active boiling remains — the pan will have gone quiet.
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7
Remove the lid and allow the bases to crisp fully over medium heat for a further 60–90 seconds. The base of each bun should be a deep, even mahogany — firm and audibly crisp when the pan is tilted. Scatter sesame seeds and sliced scallion over the tops before removing from the heat.