Char siu bao (white buns)

Ingredients for 16 servings:

• 500 g flour
• 80 g sugar
• ¼ liter of milk
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp white distilled vinegar
• 500 g pork
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 large onions
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp sauce (hoisin sauce)
• 3 tsp sugar or honey
• Salt
• 1 packet of baking powder

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours

Chinese dumplings with meat filling

For the dough: Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Gently heat the milk with 80g of sugar and a dash of oil until the sugar dissolves. Add the mixture and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to the flour while stirring and knead well. Let it rest for 1 hour. For the filling: Cut the pork into very small cubes. Mix with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce, 3 teaspoons of sugar or honey and a pinch of salt. Finely chop the onions and sauté in a saucepan until translucent. Briefly add the meat and sauté. Do not fry! Let the filling cool slightly. Cut the baking paper into pieces approximately 4 x 4 cm. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Roll the ball out flat and add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling. Distribute as evenly as possible. Shape the dough into a pocket and seal the top. So that you have 16 round dough balls with meat filling. Place each ball on a piece of baking paper. Bring water to a boil under a bamboo steamer or similar. When it boils, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Then place the char siu bao on the top level of the steamer basket with the baking paper as a base and close the lid. Steam for 10 minutes. Then briefly lift the lid. Steam for another 10 minutes. Now remove the char siu bao from the steamer basket and let it cool slightly. Delicious as a starter, on its own, but also with fried noodles or other Chinese dishes. Instead of a steamer basket, you can also use a rice cooker with a steamer insert or a regular pot with a steamer insert.