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buy it from Corks next door to take home. My favourite Riesling of the moment, though, is from Alsace in France, and the good news is you can get it from Majestic Wine. It’s so good that it’s well worth the cycle up Falcondale Road, to my local branch, DrinK up! for this alone. Kuhlman-Platz Kuhlman-Platz Riesling Riesling 2016 £9.99, 2016 isn’t your typical Majestic Wine Warehouse; sweet, petrolly number; majestic.co.uk this edgy little beauty has Fleurie £11.50, a dry crisp snap and clean Marks and Spencer; minerality with a luxurious marksandspencer.com finish, which is perfect for the rich peanut butter in the hoisin ketchup. There’s a ripe stone fruit character that goes with the unctuous pork meat too, and the texture of the wine complements the delicate steamed buns. But if you want a red, never fear, Fleurie is hear. Fleurie 2016 from Marks & Spencer, to be precise. This bright cerise beauty is one of the most sought after ‘cru’ wines of the Beaujolais region in France and is made from the Gamy grape, which produces a really light yet flavourful wine. It has a cherry and mulberry nose which is incredibly inviting and mixes well with the fragrant porky filling. Its smooth texture is a delight with the bao bun itself and, because it’s low in tannin, the ripe cherry-drop juiciness is crying out for the heady sweet and sticky pork and hoisin concoction. Bright and cheeky wines like these two go really well with the sweet and sour flavours of the Far East, so whether you’re ordering from your favourite take away or getting your bao on in the kitchen, you really can’t go wrong.
MAKES 20
INGREDIENTS For the filling: 200ml hoisin, plus extra for serving 50g smooth peanut butter 10ml oyster sauce 10ml light soy sauce 20g sugar 500g pork belly For the buns: 500g Asian bao flour (or strong white bread flour) 225ml milk 10g fresh yeast 75g sugar 50g unsalted butter ½ tbsp baking powder To serve: ½ cucumber, finely diced 4 spring onions, finely sliced peanuts, crushed METHOD 1 Preheat the oven to 160C/310F/gas mark 2. 2 Mix all the filling ingredients (apart from the pork) together until combined. Put the pork bellies into an oven dish and pour the mix over, rubbing it in (save all the excess marinade for later use). 3 Cover with water (or chicken stock if you prefer), and cover the dish with foil, sealing around the edges. Cook in the oven for 2 hours 40 minutes. 4 Once cooked, take off the excess fat and shred the meat. Add some of the cooking liqueur back through to keep it moist. It’s best left in the fridge
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overnight at this point, as the cooking liquor is absorbed by the meat. 5 To make the baos, combine the bun ingredients together and knead for 5 minutes, then let the dough rest for 2 hours. 6 After 2 hours, punch the dough down and turn out onto a clean work surface. Divide it in half then gently roll both pieces into logs, before portioning up into smaller peices, about the size of a ping pong ball. Roll each of the pieces into a ball and place onto parchment paper. 7 Flatten one ball with the palm of your hand and lay a greased chopstick in the middle, folding the bun over. Then allow the baos to rest for 15 minutes. 8 Steam the buns in a bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper to stop it sticking – they will only take 10 minutes. (You can either use the buns fresh or they can be frozen at this point and re-steamed when you want them.) 9 To serve each bao, add some hoisin, cucumber, spring onion and crushed peanuts to each bao, along with the meat. Use some of the excess marinade to season the pork. woky.co Andy Clarke is a freelance TV producer and writer. Follow him on Twitter @TVsAndyClarke; one4thetable.com