These Taiwanese pork buns are savory, pillowy and crisp.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (about 8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup water, plus more for skillet
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon dashi powder (such as hon dashi)
- 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (from 1 [1 1/2-inch] piece)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 cup chopped scallions (from 4 medium scallions)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- chili oil or soy sauce for dipping
Directions
- Stir together flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Slowly add water; using a chopstick, stir water into flour mixture until dough is flaky, about 2 minutes. Knead until a smooth ball forms, about 4 minutes. Cover dough, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
- In a separate large bowl, stir together ground pork, egg, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, dashi powder, ginger, and white pepper until well combined.
- Uncover dough (it should be soft and smooth), and roll on a well floured work surface into an 18-inch-long cylinder. Cut dough evenly into 12 (1 1⁄2-inch) pieces.
- Using your hands, roll each piece of dough into a ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 3 1⁄2-inch round, keeping center of each round at least 1/8-inch thicker than outer circumference. (This helps prevent dough from tearing when filling and wrapping.)
- Place a pinch of scallions into center of each dough round, and top with a heaping tablespoonful of pork filling. Using your thumb and index finger, pinch and fold dough to close; twist top to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Any leftover filling can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator, and reserved for another use.
- Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet with a lid over medium-high. Place pork buns in skillet, flat side down, spacing at least 1 inch apart. (Do not overcrowd skillet. If all 12 buns do not fit in skillet, cook in 2 batches.) Cook, undisturbed, until bottoms are slightly brown and release from pan when moved, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Carefully add water to skillet, covering buns halfway up sides. Cover pan with lid, and cook over medium-high until water fully evaporates and a thermometer inserted in center of buns registers 160°F, about 15 minutes. Transfer buns to a plate, and serve immediately with chili oil or a soy dipping sauce.