HOISIN LAMB BAO BUNS

1 x 2kg boned lamb shoulder 120ml soy sauce 200ml hoisin sauce 60g unrefined light muscovado sugar 1 tablespoon sesame oil 4 shallots, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 4cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder 60ml rice wine vinegar 8 spring onions, shredded 2 cucumbers, cut into thin julienne strips

or spiralised 2 carrots, cut into thin julienne strips or

spiralised 2 long red chillies, finely shredded Sesame seeds A steaming pan or Chinese steamer

baskets Baking parchment A little oil, for brushing marinade) and place it in a casserole or lidded oven-proof pot. Heat the oven to 140ºC / Gas 1, and cook, basting occasionally, for 4 hours, until the lamb is tender. In a pan, reduce the marinade until it is sticky and roughly halved in volume. Set aside. For the buns; dissolve the sugar and yeast in the water in a jug, and set aside for a few minutes until it becomes foamy. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture, then the vegetable oil, vinegar and a teaspoon of salt. Mix until combined into a loose dough. Turn this onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 10 minutes until soft and pliable, then place in a lightly oiled bowl, flipping to coat completely, then cover the bowl with clingfilm and set aside for a couple of hours in a warm place until the dough is roughly doubled in size. Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and knock it back. By hand, roll out the dough into a long sausage shape, about 6cm thick, then cut into pieces about 3cm wide – you should have 18 in total. By hand, roll each piece of dough into a rough ball shape and leave each one to rest for 2-3 mins. Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball, one by one, into an oval shape about 1/2cm in thickness. Brush the surface of the ovals with oil and fold over to make a semicircle. Transfer the prepared buns to a sheet of baking parchment, cover with a clean tea towel or lightly oiled cling film, and leave the buns to prove in a warm place for 1 hr 30 mins, or until doubled in size. Heat a large steamer pan over a medium heat. Steam the buns in small batches for 8 mins until inflated and soft and keep warm. As you cook the buns, roast the lamb in a medium oven until it is sizzling at the edges, and shred quickly with a pair of large forks. Warm the reduced marinade. Prise open each bun and fill with shreds of lamb, some of the vegetables, some sesame seeds, and a drizzle of the sauce.