Rou Jia Mo

Ingredients

• 1kg pork belly, skin on, cut into large chunks
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 dried red chillies
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 1 thumb ginger, sliced
• 3 spring onions, halved
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 30g rock sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 400g wheat flour
• 220ml warm water
• 4g instant yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 small handful coriander, chopped

Before you cook

• Tie the star anise, cinnamon, fennel, bay leaves, dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, cumin and cardamom into muslin.
• Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and warm water into a dough and knead for 10 minutes until smooth.
• Cover the dough and let it rise until it has grown by about half, roughly 45 minutes.
• Blanch the pork belly chunks in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain.

Steps

1. Put the blanched pork in a heavy pot with the spice bag, ginger, spring onions, both soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar and salt.
2. Pour in enough hot water to just cover the meat.
3. Bring the pot to a boil, then drop the heat to the gentlest simmer.
4. Cook covered for 2 hours and 30 minutes, until a chopstick slides through the belly with no resistance.
5. Turn off the heat and leave the pork sitting in its liquid while you make the buns.
6. Knock back the risen dough and divide it into 6 equal pieces.
7. Roll each piece into a rectangle, then roll it up tightly from the long side into a rope.
8. Coil each rope into a spiral, stand it on its end, and press it flat into a disc about 10cm across.
9. Rest the discs under a cloth for 15 minutes.
10. Heat a dry heavy pan over medium-low heat.
11. Cook the buns for 5 minutes on each side, pressing lightly, until they are golden with a distinct pale ring around the edge.
12. Move the buns to a rack so their crusts stay crisp.
13. Lift the pork out of the braise onto a board and discard the skin if you prefer a leaner filling.
14. Chop the pork roughly with a cleaver, then add the green chilli and coriander and chop again to combine.
15. Moisten the chopped pork with 3 tablespoons of the hot braising liquid.
16. Split each bun almost in half through the side, leaving a hinge.
17. Stuff the buns generously with the chopped pork and eat them straight away, while the crust is still crisp.