Chicken bao pie

Method

• step 1

  Put all the dough ingredients in a bowl with ¾ tsp salt and 165ml warm water, and mix to form a shaggy dough. Tip out onto a work surface and knead for 15-20 mins until completely smooth. Put the dough in a bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 20 mins.

• step 2

  Meanwhile, for the filling, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion and garlic for 7-8 mins until softened. Combine the rest of the filling ingredients in a bowl, then tip into the pan and cook for about 15 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Leave to cool completely.

• step 3

  Tip the dough out of the bowl and knead again for 5 mins. Return to the bowl, cover and leave to rise for another 20 mins. When ready, the dough should have increased in size and be springy to the touch.

• step 4

  Cut the dough into 12 pieces and gently shape each one into a ball. Transfer to a plate and cover with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out. Working with one dough ball at a time, squash into a disc using the palm of your hand, then roll out using a rolling pin from the middle outwards, turning the disc clockwise as you go, until you have a roughly 8.5cm circle. (The dough will fluff up when cooked so doesn’t need to be too thick, but you also don't want to go too thin and risk holes.) Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

• step 5

  To fill the pies, hold one of the dough circles in your hand and spoon a generous portion of the filling into the middle. Lay a second dough circle on top, then crimp the edges together to enclose the filling. Lay on a strip of baking parchment, then transfer to a steamer (the parchment strips will prevent the pies from sticking to the steamer). Repeat until all the buns are assembled.

• step 6

  Put the steamer over a pan of warm water (not boiling) and leave to rise off the heat for 10 mins. After 10 mins, put the pan with the steamer on top over a medium heat and steam for 10 mins. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the buns to rest inside the steamer for 2-3 mins.

• step 7

  To finish, you can lightly fry the pies on one or both sides in a dry, non-stick frying pan , which will result in crisp, golden crusts. Serve topped with some spring onions, chilli oil or a sauce of your choice.