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Recipe: Bethany Finn’s Pork Buns

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Let’s commemorate the Year of the Pig for this Chinese New Year with this soft and crispy Pork Bun recipe from chef, Bethany Finn.  Seasoned with garlic, thyme and juniper berries, these pork buns are sure to impress you and your friends. Courtesy of Clubs Queensland. Download the recipe HERE.

 

Ingredients

Curing Salt for Pork Belly (makes around 150g)

  • 100g sea salt
  • 50g sugar
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • 6 juniper berries
  • 2 white peppercorns

Pork Bun Dough

  • 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 ½ cups water (room temperature)
  • 4 ½ cups bakers flour
  • 6 tablespoons of sugar
  • 3 tablespoons of skim milk powder
  • 1 tablespoon Murray River salt
  • ½ teaspoon of baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon of baking soda
  • 80g of lard (room temperature)

 

Method

Curing the Pork Belly

Pound all ingredients together using a mortar and pestle to form a coarse, aromatic powder. Rub the curing salt all over the pork belly, refrigerate and allow to cure for 12 hours. Wash the curing salt off the belly, place into deep sided tray, cover with 1 litre of hot chicken stock. Cover with silicon paper and foil, seal the edges and braise for 3 hours at 165°C until soft to touch.

Pork Filling for Bun

Allow to cool before handling. Take the pork belly and cut into smaller pieces, use the back of the fork to shred the meat, mix with a little sriracha chilli sauce, fish sauce and lime juice to taste.

Pork Bun Dough

Combine the yeast and water in the warmed bowl with a dough hook. Add the flour, sugar, milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, lard and mix on the lowest speed possible for 9 minutes. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough in it, cover with plastic, leave in a warm place to rise, for 1 hour 20 minutes or until double in size.

Assembling

Roll dough into 25g balls, fill with chilled pork bun mix and sit them on squares of silicon paper. Brush with a little dark soy and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Allow to prove for 7 minutes before cooking for 7 minutes in the steamer.

To Serve

Serve with a little salad of green mango, cucumber, bean sprout, chilli, lime leaf, coriander and mint with a splash of rice vinegar mixed with a pinch of sugar. This makes a nice crisp salad to go with the pork buns.