CHUUKA MANJUU - JAPANESE-STYLE CHINESE STEAMED BUNS

Steps:

• The dough:.
• Cut up the parchment paper into 24 squares about 10 cm / 3 inches square.
• Proof the yeast in a bowl or cup in the 1/4 cup of warm water with a pinch of sugar added, until foamy.
• In a large bowl, put in 5 cups of the flour. Make a well in the center, and add the hot water and mix rapidly.
• Add the sugar and yeast/water mixture, baking powder, warm milk, and the shortening or lard. Mix well.
• Add the rest of the flour little by little until you have a workable dough. Knead for a few minutes on a floured board until it's soft and pliable.
• Put into a large bowl, cover with a clean towel, and leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Take out the dough and roll into one long sausage. Cut the dough into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and let rest for a bit.
• To fill the buns, flatten each ball so that the middle is slightly thicker than the edges. Put about a tablespoon or so of filling in the middle. Gather up the edges and pinch them firmly together to seal, then turn the bun over and place on a square of parchment paper. Let the buns rise for 15-20 minutes before steaming.
• Steam in a steamer for 20 minutes. Eat while piping hot.
• The filling:.
• Soak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water until soft. Cut off the hard stems and slice thinly.
• Cube the pork, or chop it up finely.
• Mix the flour and cornstarch with the water.
• In a pan heat the sesame oil and toss in all the ingredients except the flour/cornstarch water. Sauté briefly, then add the flour/cornstarch water. Cook until it's a bit syrupy.
• Let cool and use to fill the buns.
• The Chinese-style roast pork (Chinese: char siu; Japanese: yakibuta).
• If you have a big piece of pork, cut it into about 500g pieces.
• Roughly chop the ginger, skin on is okay, and crush the garlic to crush a bit.
• Put the pork pieces in a sturdy plastic bag or container. Put in the pork, ginger, star anise and garlic, and fill with enough soy sauce to cover the pork.
• Seal the bag well and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Turn the meat several times if you can so that the marinade penetrates evenly.
• Preheat the oven to 140° C / 280°F
• Empty out the contents of the bag into a baking dish. Add a bit of water so that the meat is sitting in about 1cm of liquid.
• Sprinkle the meat with sugar, and bake for about 2.5 - 3 hours, turning the meat every 20-30 minutes. If you want it even sweeter, sprinkle more sugar on the meat periodically.
• At the end, the liquid will be almost gone and syrupy, and you will have dark amber colored pieces of pork.
• Let cool and slice thin, cube, etc. You can use cubes in fried rice, or in the steamed buns of course, and any number of things.
• It is quite worthwhile to make this in some quantity, since the cooking takes so long, and to freeze in portions for later use.