This might come as a surprise to you but it turns out Bulgaria doesn’t celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. How am I to quench my enormous craving for Chinese BBQ pork buns!?! The answer is simple, make my own at home. This recipe is very easy to make, I suggest you try it out for yourselves. Gong Hey Fat Choy everyone!
Buy some BBQ pork (Cha Siu) premade and mix with green onions or make your own*.
Mix the dough until smooth, place in a warm place and let rise in an oiled bowl covered with plastic cling film for one hour. On a floured surface, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces for large buns, 8 pieces for smaller buns.
Roll out the dough into circles leaving the center thicker than the edges. Put one large spoonful of BBQ pork in the center, wet the edges and pinch together making sure the buns are sealed tight then twist the dough together at the top. Let rise for an hour (very important if you want fluffy buns).
Boil water in a pot or wok then place a metal or bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper or cabbage (cabbage works best). Place a few bun in the steamer making sure they don’t touch. Cover with a lid and wait 15 minutes, try not to open the lid too often as the buns might deflate.
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 pack active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 cup cold water
- 6 cups bread flour plus additional for kneading
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup oil
- Mix yeast, sugar, salt and warm water in a bowl, set aside until the yeast is foamy. Add the flour and most of the oil then slowly add water until the dough is lumpy. Knead until smooth and springy.
- Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about an hour.
- All measurements are estimated as I don't own measuring cups or spoons. My recipes are made by eye (and with love!).
- 2 pork chops (or pork necks)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 soy sauce
- 1/2 hoisin sauce*
- 2 tablespoons chili sauce of your choice
- 1/4 sugar
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- a handful of green onions, chopped
- white vinegar to taste
- oil for cooking
- In a hot pan, sear the pork chops for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and let rest. Cook onions until translucent then add the rest of the ingredients, simmer until the sauce has reduced to half. Cut the pork into tiny little cubes, mix with the sauce and green onions. Let cool.
- All measurements are estimated as I don't own measuring cups or spoons. My recipes are made by eye (and with love!).