Ingredients
400 g (about 3 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour, 150 g (about 5.3 oz) pork, 150 g (about 1 1/4 cups) additional flour, 700 g (about 1.5 lbs) shredded pickled Chinese cabbage.
Seasonings
50 g lard, 50 g sesame oil, 15 g soy sauce, 15 g chopped scallions, 5 g salt, 2 g Sichuan peppercorn powder, baking soda to taste, 7.5 g minced ginger, and a pinch of MSG.
Instructions
1. Finely mince the pork, then stir-fry in lard until just cooked through. Add soy sauce, salt, and MSG, stirring well, then remove from heat and let cool. Mix in chopped scallions, minced ginger, ground Sichuan pepper, sesame oil, and shredded pickled Chinese cabbage, stirring until evenly combined to form the filling.
2. Place the flour in a large bowl, add 250 g (about 1 cup) of warm water, and knead into a dough. Let it rise in a warm place. Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a work surface, mix in the baking soda, knead until smooth, and let it rest briefly.
3. Roll the dough into a log, divide it into 20 equal pieces, then flatten each piece with your palm into a wrapper for the buns.
4. Hold the wrapper in one hand, place an appropriate amount of filling in the center, and use the other hand to pleat the edges, creating about 20 pleats per bun before sealing. Once all buns are assembled, place them in a steamer basket and steam for 15 minutes until cooked through. These pork and pickled cabbage buns feature a soft, fluffy dough with a tender, savory filling, rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, vitamin E, vitamin C, and niacin.