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| Healthier pork bao with tons of flavour which doesn't cost the earth |
'Gosh, I like these; the Asian pork & veg in baked soft rolls was very good!' enthused one 20-something Australian-Asian.
That's the likely response of everyone else who tries these fun-to-eat 67-style Asian pork buns, whatever their age or background.
Cooks will love the easy make-ahead preparation. The Bao are budget-friendly and low in sugar, salt and fat -- unlike most originals. They're an impressive and original holiday weekend meal.
Bao are usually made of steamed bread, pork belly braised in a thick sweet and salty sauce, shaved raw veg and tangy Oriental dressing. They're very popular in London, selling from food trucks and Bao bars for £5 and upwards.
67's version uses supermarket soft rolls (recipes for steamed bread can be found on the net). The pork is exquisitely spiced, without a gloopy sugary sauce, and wonderfully tender through slow-cooking. The crunchy veg is loaded with healthy Chinese salad ingredients; the Oriental dressing is surprisingly creamy.
The recipe should also work well with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and firm tofu, thickly sliced.
Some planning is necessary: the pork is first poached to melting tenderness then marinated overnight and slow-cooked for 4 hours.
The number of steps might seem daunting but they're all simple. Most of the prep is completed the day before serving; many ingredients will already be in most kitchens.
The buns can be prepared and served individually but it's more fun to let people fill their own. Load up a platter with the warmed meat and serve the bread, salad, extra dressing, peanuts and chilli, if using, in separate bowls. Add a platter of thickly sliced tomatoes, lightly sprayed with olive oil and lightly salted.
Makes a great packed lunch if ingredients are packed separately.
Cost: £7.50
Feeds: 8-10; recipe halves nicely
Ingred:
1 kilo/2 pounds belly pork strips or sliced pork shoulder in similar sized strips OR chicken thighs or breasts OR firm tofu sliced the width of a belly pork strip
4 tbsp dry sherry/white wine/grape juice
4 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce (Amoy or Pearl River Bridge) [if there are health issues with salt, halve the amount of soy and replace with a stock cube dissolved in water]
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1/2 tsp each dried cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
1/8-1/4 tsp salt
2 rounded tbsp Dijon or other mild mustard
Salad
4 medium mugs Chinese leaves (in most supermarkets) or iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
generous half mug carrot shavings
3/4 mug cucumber, halved vertically & thinly sliced
1 mug bean sprouts, washed (pour boiling water over to remove raw taste; drain) optional
3/4 mug thinly sliced pepper, any colour
handful radishes, thinly sliced (opt)
handful spring onions, green only, thinly sliced (opt)
a small chilli, finely diced (opt)
generous handful salted peanuts, rubbed with paper serviette to reduce salt and fat
Dressing
250 gr/9 oz strained or Greek plain -fat yoghurt
80 gr/3 oz mayonnaise
4 tbsp rice vinegar/dry sherry/white wine/grape juice
3 tsp reduced salt soy sauce (Amoy or Pearl River Bridge)
1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil (or good olive oil)
1-2 tsp lemon or lime juice
1/2-1 tsp 5 spice powder (or cinnamon)
1 large clove garlic, grated or minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger or 1/2-1 tsp dried
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp oyster sauce (opt)
pepper & salt
Buns
Any or all of: soft wholemeal or white buns or large chunks crusty French sticks
Singletons or couples can indulge in Waitrose's Paysan White Rolls (55 p each) which are soft beneath crusty exteriors.
Method:
Prepare in Advance:
Pork (prepare up to 2 days before serving):
That's the likely response of everyone else who tries these fun-to-eat 67-style Asian pork buns, whatever their age or background.
Cooks will love the easy make-ahead preparation. The Bao are budget-friendly and low in sugar, salt and fat -- unlike most originals. They're an impressive and original holiday weekend meal.
Bao are usually made of steamed bread, pork belly braised in a thick sweet and salty sauce, shaved raw veg and tangy Oriental dressing. They're very popular in London, selling from food trucks and Bao bars for £5 and upwards.
67's version uses supermarket soft rolls (recipes for steamed bread can be found on the net). The pork is exquisitely spiced, without a gloopy sugary sauce, and wonderfully tender through slow-cooking. The crunchy veg is loaded with healthy Chinese salad ingredients; the Oriental dressing is surprisingly creamy.
The recipe should also work well with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and firm tofu, thickly sliced.
Some planning is necessary: the pork is first poached to melting tenderness then marinated overnight and slow-cooked for 4 hours.
The number of steps might seem daunting but they're all simple. Most of the prep is completed the day before serving; many ingredients will already be in most kitchens.
The buns can be prepared and served individually but it's more fun to let people fill their own. Load up a platter with the warmed meat and serve the bread, salad, extra dressing, peanuts and chilli, if using, in separate bowls. Add a platter of thickly sliced tomatoes, lightly sprayed with olive oil and lightly salted.
Makes a great packed lunch if ingredients are packed separately.
Cost: £7.50
Feeds: 8-10; recipe halves nicely
Ingred:
1 kilo/2 pounds belly pork strips or sliced pork shoulder in similar sized strips OR chicken thighs or breasts OR firm tofu sliced the width of a belly pork strip
4 tbsp dry sherry/white wine/grape juice
4 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce (Amoy or Pearl River Bridge) [if there are health issues with salt, halve the amount of soy and replace with a stock cube dissolved in water]
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1/2 tsp each dried cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
1/8-1/4 tsp salt
2 rounded tbsp Dijon or other mild mustard
Salad
4 medium mugs Chinese leaves (in most supermarkets) or iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
generous half mug carrot shavings
3/4 mug cucumber, halved vertically & thinly sliced
3/4 mug thinly sliced pepper, any colour
handful radishes, thinly sliced (opt)
handful spring onions, green only, thinly sliced (opt)
a small chilli, finely diced (opt)
generous handful salted peanuts, rubbed with paper serviette to reduce salt and fat
Dressing
250 gr/9 oz strained or Greek plain -fat yoghurt
80 gr/3 oz mayonnaise
4 tbsp rice vinegar/dry sherry/white wine/grape juice
3 tsp reduced salt soy sauce (Amoy or Pearl River Bridge)
1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil (or good olive oil)
1-2 tsp lemon or lime juice
1/2-1 tsp 5 spice powder (or cinnamon)
1 large clove garlic, grated or minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger or 1/2-1 tsp dried
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp oyster sauce (opt)
pepper & salt
Buns
Any or all of: soft wholemeal or white buns or large chunks crusty French sticks
Singletons or couples can indulge in Waitrose's Paysan White Rolls (55 p each) which are soft beneath crusty exteriors.
Method:
Prepare in Advance:
Pork (prepare up to 2 days before serving):
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil with a couple of onions, 2 garlic cloves and a carrot. Add pork; the water should cover. Bring back to the boil, reduce heat to low, allowing the water to bubble gently. Simmer for 30 mins or until meat is tender. Drain. (This step is unnecessary for chicken/tofu.)
- Whisk together sherry, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, mustard & spices till well blended; pour into a sealable freezer bag large enough for the meat (or a large flat glass dish for the tofu). Add protein. Refrigerate 2 hours or preferably overnight.
- Pour contents of bag into a slow cooker; add half a cup of water; cook on low 4 hours or until meat is tender but holds its shape; standard supermarket pork may need extra time. (This step is unnecessary for chicken/tofu.) Cool one hour; refrigerate in covered dish, until needed.
Chicken & Firm Tofu: start in the morning
- Whisk together sherry, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, mustard & spices till well blended; pour into a sealable freezer bag large enough for the meat (or a large flat glass dish for the tofu). Add protein. Refrigerate 2 hours.
Dressing (can be made up to 2 days before needed)
- Stir yoghurt and mayo together until blended
- Add all other ingredients, stirring well
- Taste; add more oyster sauce if necessary
On day of Serving:
- Crisp and re-heat PORK: Oven: roast on a rack in a roasting pan in pre-heated oven (180C, 350F, gas4, 20-30 mins or till lightly crisped OR BBQ/Grill: 10-15 mins each side on med-high heat or until lightly crisped
- Oven bake CHICKEN pieces until done...34-40 mins; slice thickly
- Firm TOFU: shallow-fry until edges crisp up
- Keep warm until ready to serve.
Serving Individual buns
- Mix all salad ingredients except peanuts; cover & refrigerate. When ready to serve buns, pour enough dressing over salad to moisten but not overwhelm, mix thoroughly; spoon a good layer of salad on bottom of bun; sprinkle with chopped peanuts
- Cover generously with pork, chicken or tofu slices; cover with top bun; halve; pierce with cocktail sticks
Serve as Buffet:
Load up a platter with warmed meat; in separate dishes, serve bread, salad, extra dressing, peanuts and chilli, if using. Add a platter of thickly sliced tomatoes, lightly sprayed with olive oil and lightly salted.
Comments:
'Really terrific!' 'Very, very good.' 'Gosh,I like these!' Tasters
Tips:
- 67 tested upmarket outdoor-bred pork belly strips, supermarket belly strips and pork shoulder; the outdoor-bred meat required less cooking but all three ended up beautifully tender and well flavoured
- For reduced salt soy sauce try Amoy (25% reduced salt). Anything above 25-35% reduced salt lacks 'body' and taste.
Meat on NavBar: Recipes I
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This recipe has been developed by B Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.
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