Sheng Jian Bao生煎包

Use a cleaver to finely mince the pork on the cutting board until it reaches a coarse paste texture. Also finely mince the ginger and scallions on the same board and set aside. Transfer the pork to a mixing bowl. Add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking oil, salt, and minced ginger. Crack in the egg. Stir vigorously in one direction for 3–4 minutes until the filling becomes sticky and elastic.

Add the scallions to the seasoned pork filling. Fold in gently until evenly distributed. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Dissolve dry yeast in 30 ml of warm water (about 35°C) in a mixing bowl. Add all-purpose flour and gradually pour in the remaining 100 ml warm water, stirring with a fork or wooden spoon until shaggy. Knead by hand for 8–10 minutes until smooth and soft. Shape into a ball, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and proof at room temperature for 40–45 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down the proofed dough on the cutting board to degas. Divide into 15–16 equal pieces (about 25 g each). Roll each piece into a round wrapper about 8 cm in diameter — thicker at the center, thinner at the edges. Place 1 heaped tablespoon of filling in the center. Pleat and pinch around the edges to seal completely, gathering all pleats at the top. Place each bao sealed-side down on a lightly floured tray, spaced 2 cm apart.

Transfer the sheng-jian-bao to a serving plate. Serve immediately while the bottoms are still crisp and the filling is piping hot.