Name: Steamed pork dumplings with Shanghai chilli vinegar
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 210 min
Total time: 260 min
Yield: 24
Ingredients: 450 gm (1 packet) steamed bun flour (see note); 250 ml (1 cup) milk; 100 gm caster sugar; 1 tsp vegetable oil; Braised pork; 1 kg boneless pork belly; 100 gm (10cm piece) ginger, thinly sliced; 100 ml soy sauce; 6 white peppercorns, crushed; 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock; Cabbage filling; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 10 golden shallots, finely chopped; 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 400 gm Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced; 1 tsp rice wine vinegar; Shanghai chilli vinegar; 2 tbsp Fu Chi chilli bean sauce (see note); 1 tbsp Chinese brown vinegar (see note); 2 tsp light soy sauce, or to taste

“I’m ripping these straight from the bar at Cutler & Co. on the other side of the river, but I’m allowed to do that, not least because they’re delicious. And yes, they’re technically buns, but we call them dumplings.” You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

450 gm (1 packet) steamed bun flour (see note)

250 ml (1 cup) milk

100 gm caster sugar

1 tsp vegetable oil

Braised pork

1 kg boneless pork belly

100 gm (10cm piece) ginger, thinly sliced

100 ml soy sauce

6 white peppercorns, crushed

500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock

Cabbage filling

2 tbsp vegetable oil

10 golden shallots, finely chopped

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

400 gm Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

Shanghai chilli vinegar

2 tbsp Fu Chi chilli bean sauce (see note)

1 tbsp Chinese brown vinegar (see note)

2 tsp light soy sauce, or to taste

Method

Main

1.For braised pork, preheat oven to 150C. Combine pork belly with ginger, soy and peppercorns in a roasting pan and rub to coat pork. Add chicken stock and roast until very tender (3 hours). Cool, remove pork from stock (discard stock), weight with a large plate, refrigerate until firm (overnight), then remove skin (discard) and cut into 3cm squares.

2.Combine flour, milk and sugar in a bowl, add oil, mix to form a dough, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead to form a ball (3-4 minutes). Cover and set aside to rest (30 minutes).

3.For cabbage filling, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add shallot and garlic and stir occasionally until golden (2-3 minutes). Add cabbage and 1 tsp sea salt flakes and stir occasionally until tender (3 minutes). Stir in rice wine vinegar and set aside to cool.

4.For Shanghai chilli vinegar, combine ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

5.Weigh dough into 24 even balls, then roll into 10cm rounds on a lightly floured surface. Top with a thin layer of cabbage mixture, place a piece of pork belly on top. Brush edges of dough with water, pull dough over pork belly to enclose, pinch to seal. Place on baking paper, sealed side down, and steam in batches in a steamer placed over boiling water until dumplings rise (6 minutes). Serve hot with Shanghai chilli vinegar for dipping.

Steamed bun flour, Fu Chi chilli bean sauce (made from chilli and soy beans) and Chinese brown vinegar are available from select Asian supermarkets.
This recipe is from the April 2011 issue of
.
Notes

Recipe by Andrew McConnell Chef and restaurateur

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Recipe / styling by Lisa Featherby

Ingredients

Method

Main

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