Jennifer Joyce shares her pillowy-soft bao dough recipe plus two fillings and shapes: fried chicken foldovers and pan-fried pork buns.

It's taken me years to perfect the fluffiest bao and I can tell you it's the second proving that makes them so soft. If you become addicted, you may want to invest in a big steamer. Asian shops sell aluminium double-stacked steamers, perfect for buns, dumplings or whole fish.

Bao buns

INGREDIENTS

100ml milk

90ml warm water

2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra

1½ tsp fast-action yeast

350g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp castor sugar

METHOD

In a pouring jug, mix together the milk, warm water, vegetable oil and yeast. Leave to sit for 5 minutes to check if the yeast bubbles up (it's a good test to see if your yeast is working).

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer with a dough hook, add the dry ingredients. With the motor running on low speed, pour in the liquid. Let it come together as a ball of dough and if it sticks to the bottom, sprinkle in an extra tablespoon or so of flour. Knead for 10 minutes on the same low speed. You can also do this by hand using a large mixing bowl and spoon, kneading the dough on the counter for 10 minutes.

Remove the dough and place in a lightly oiled bowl for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Cover with plastic wrap.

Knock the dough back, knead for another 2 minutes, and then cut into 12-16 balls and place under a tea towel to stay soft while rolling. Use scissors to cut 10cm squares of non-stick baking paper for each ball.

Roll each ball into an elliptical shape about 15cm long and 8cm wide. Brush the tops lightly with vegetable oil, fold over and place each on a square of paper. Add to the steamer, then place the lid on the steamer so that they are covered. Leave to rise for a second time, about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the heat of your kitchen.

Pour water in the bottom of a wok or if you are using a metal steamer, pour water into the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and then place the steamer on top. Steam for about 8 minutes or until puffy and firm.

Makes 12 large buns or 16 smaller

Note: If you want to prepare these more than 4 to 6 hours in advance, I would suggest freezing them cooked and then steaming again from frozen. This keeps them from going stale. You can also store in an airtight container, covered in baking paper, up to a day before using. Once open, they need to be used quickly as they go stale fast.

Sheng jian bao: Pan-fried and steamed baozi

One of Taiwan's best street foods, bao dough is stuffed with pork, pan-fried and quickly steamed to cook through. It's the best of all worlds: cloud-like dough, a golden crisp bottom and spicy meat filling. You don't have to do all the fancy pleating (see illustrations below); the baozi taste good no matter what your folding skills are. Serve with a roasted chilli sauce and, even better, mix in a little black vinegar.

INGREDIENTS

Bao buns dough (see above), made without the oil and baking powder

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Pork filling

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

1 garlic clove, chopped

6 spring onions, chopped

75g savoy cabbage, very finely chopped

300g minced pork

2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine

3 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp cornflour, plus extra

To serve

black and/or white toasted sesame seeds

finely chopped spring onions

roasted chilli flakes in oil, drained, and mixed with black vinegar (optional), or chilli sauce

METHOD

Mix and knead the dough as per the bao buns recipe (see above), but don't add the oil and baking powder. If the dough doesn't form a ball straightaway, add a teaspoon or two of water until it does. After kneading, place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let double in size (this can take from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen).

Mix all the ingredients for the pork filling together in a small bowl.

Punch the dough down and knead for 5 minutes. Sprinkle your work surface with a little cornflour. Roll the dough into a long snake and slice into 16 or 24 pieces depending on what you want size-wise.

Roll each piece into a circle, about 10cm, and make sure the middle is thicker than the sides. Using scissors, cut 16 or 24 small squares of baking paper.

Hold the dough in one hand while you place the filling into the centre. Fill each wrapper with a heaped tablespoon of the filling. Start to bring up one side of the wrapper and pleat the outside so that the wrapper stretches around the filling, 'hugging' it.

Add pleats outward in one direction, so the dough 'hugs' the filling as you go round. Use your holding hand thumb to keep the middle open and allow the other thumb to press the pleats.

When you finish, press the pleats tightly against the hole in the middle. They won't always look perfect, but they will taste good. Place each one on a square of baking paper.

Heat the oil in a very large frying pan or two smaller ones with fitted lids (or use a baking tray that covers the pan). Keeping the heat on medium–low so they don't burn, add the buns, leaving space between them. Pan-fry for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly crisp on the bottom.

Add 40ml water to each pan and cover. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, removing the lid when the water evaporates. If the buns stick, add a little sesame oil.

Crisp the bottoms for another few minutes until dark golden, then remove.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and spring onion and serve with the roasted chilli flakes or sauce.

Makes 16 medium or 24 small buns

Note: The baozi can be refrigerated for up to 5 hours before cooking. Store on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper and dusted with cornflour. Top with more paper and then wrap in plastic wrap. Bring back to room temperature before cooking.

Fried ginger soy chicken bao with chilli sauce and pickles

Karaage is a totally addictive fried chicken that's served in izakayas all over Japan. Boneless chicken thighs are marinated in ginger, garlic and soy, dipped in cornflour before being fried. It's the perfect counterpart to pillowy bao buns.

INGREDIENTS

6 large boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp Japanese light soy sauce

4cm ginger, grated

175g cornflour

1 tbsp togarashi spice mix

vegetable oil, for frying

steamed bao buns (see above)

Chilli sauce

2 tbsp hot chilli sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp castor sugar

To serve

ginger pickles (see recipe) or store-bought pickles

thinly sliced red onion

thinly sliced green chilli

coriander

lemon wedges

METHOD

Halve the chicken thighs and place in a bowl with the garlic, soy and ginger and mix well. Cover, refrigerate and ideally leave overnight or for at least 2 hours.

Remove the chicken from the fridge 1 hour before cooking to bring up to room temperature.

Whisk all the chilli sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside for serving.

In a shallow dish, mix the cornflour with the spice mix and some sea salt.

Heat the oil in a wok or deep medium saucepan until it reaches 180C-190C or when a small piece of bread instantly sizzles. Arrange a wire rack over a baking tray ready for draining the fried chicken.

When the oil is ready, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off any excess, and drop five or six pieces into the oil. Fry until golden, adjusting the heat so the oil isn't too hot. You want the chicken to fry slowly enough to cook the inside flesh without the crust getting brown too quickly. Drain on the wire rack to keep the outside crisp.

Serve the fried chicken inside the buns with the pickles, red onion, chilli and coriander, with the lemon wedges and chilli sauce to pass around.

Makes 12 small pieces

Ginger pickles

A little pickled element is an essential condiment for practically any Asian meal. If you want tasty pickles that don't need days to cure, this is a quick fix.

300g baby cucumbers

1 tbsp sea salt

2 tsp light soy sauce

75 ml rice vinegar

3 tbsp castor sugar

3cm ginger, julienned

1 thumb-sized red chilli, sliced (optional)

METHOD

Slice the cucumbers 2cm thick, place in a sieve and toss with the salt. Leave for 30 minutes, rinse and dry well on a tea towel.

Add the remaining ingredients to a plastic container with a fitted lid. Toss the cucumbers in the mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before eating.

Serves 4

Images and recipes from My Asian Kitchen by Jennifer Joyce, published by Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99; photography by Phil Webb, illustrations by Riley Joyce