Hot Pork Bao Buns with Rhubarb Sauce and Stuffing

This is a Tom Kerridge recipe and as we're bang in rhubarb season, I felt it right to share it with you not least because it's absolutely delicious! Melt in the mouth pork, classic sage and onion stuffing and a sweet and sour rhubarb sauce that will knock your socks off all perfectly wrapped up in a soft, cloud-like bao buns. The stuff dreams are made of.

Perfect for a crowd, you can make most of the elements in advance and the pork itself just sits in the oven all day getting juicier by the minute. You can even enjoy this cold the next day and it's just as good. Honestly, just make this dish and thank me later.

Hot Pork Bao Buns with Rhubarb Sauce and Stuffing
Serves 8-12

1 hand of pork (about 4kg)

75g butter

150g bacon lardons

2 onions, finely chopped

100g fresh breadcrumbs

1 bunch fresh sage leaves, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the buns:

565g strong white flour, plus extra

10g dried yeast

225ml warm water

75g sugar

50ml vegetable oil

125ml boiling water

For the rhubarb sauce:

100g butter, cubed

100g caster sugar

350g rhubarb, chopped

50ml grenadine

Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas Mark 2. Place the hand of pork on a roasting tray and roast for 5 hours until the meat is tender.

Meanwhile, make the dough for the buns. Mix 125g of the strong white flour and yeast together in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Stir in the warm water, cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to one side for 20-30 minutes until the yeast is frothy.

Mix the sugar and vegetable oil together in a large heatproof bowl and pour in the boiling water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Leave to cool to blood heat. Add the yeast mix, then add the remaining strong white flour and mix together to form a dough. Tip out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes until it is stretchy and elastic.

Place the dough into a bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave the dough to rise at room temperature until at least doubled in size, which will take 1½-2 hours. Knock the the dough back (give it a good punch) then tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a sausage shape, about 30cm long and 4cm thick. 

Cut into 12 equal pieces and roll into smooth balls. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment, place the dough balls on top, cover with clingfilm and leave to p rove for 1 hour, or until they rise and increase in volume by about half. 

Meanwhile, make the rhubarb sauce. Melt the butter and sugar in a large frying pan over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the rhubarb and grenadine, turn the heat to low and leave the rhubarb to stew, uncovered and stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes until it breaks down completely. Transfer the rhubarb to a blender and blend until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve. Transfer to a serving bowl and keep until needed. This can be served hot or cold.

Melt the 75g butter in a large frying pan. Add the lardons and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat has rendered out. Add the onions, reduce the heat to low and fry, stirring occasionally, for at least 5 minutes until they softened, but not coloured. Stir in the breadcrumbs and sage and season with salt and pepper. Keep to one side.

When you are ready to steam the buns, put about 5cm of water in a saucepan and line the base of a Chinese steamer basket that fits over the pan with baking paper. Place the buns in the steamer, a few at a time, and steam for 15 minutes.

When all of the buns have been steamed, shred the pork from the bone. When you're ready to serve, cut each bun in half, spoon in some of the stuffing, followed by the rhubarb sauce and then the pork. Devour!