Pow

Ingredients

Dough

• 600 gplain flour
• 8 ginstant yeast
• 80 gcaster sugar
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 300 mlwarm water or milk
• 40 glard or vegetable shortening

Filling

• 700 gpork shoulder, in one piece
• 3 tbsphoisin sauce
• 2 tbspsoy sauce
• 2 tbsphoney
• 1 tbspChinese five-spice
• 2 tbspbrown sugar
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsprice wine
• red food colouring, if wanted

Filling sauce

• 1onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbspoil
• 2 tbspoyster sauce
• 1 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 tbspsugar
• 1 tbspcornflour
• 150 mlwater

Equipment

• squares of baking paper
• a steamer with a cloth-wrapped lid

Directions

1. Cut the pork shoulder into long strips about five centimetres thick. Strips take up marinade better than a whole piece. Mix the hoisin, soy, honey, five-spice, sugar, garlic and rice wine. Turn the pork through the marinade. Cover it and refrigerate it for at least four hours, or overnight.
2. Heat the oven to 200C in good time. Lay the strips on a rack over a tray of water. That water stops the drips burning and smoking. Roast them for twenty-five minutes. Turn them and brush them with the remaining marinade. Roast them for another fifteen to twenty minutes. They should be caramelised at the edges and cooked through.
3. Let them cool completely before chopping. Chop the cooled pork into small dice. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion for six minutes. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Whisk the cornflour into the water until smooth. Pour it in and stir until it thickens. Stir the chopped pork into it.
4. Cool the filling completely before it goes near the dough. Warm filling melts the dough and makes the buns collapse. Chill it until firm, which makes it much easier to wrap. Making the dough needs a soft white result.
5. Warm the water or milk to blood temperature. Put the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Add the warm liquid and the lard. Mix it into a dough and knead it for twelve minutes. It should be smooth, soft and slightly tacky. Put it in an oiled bowl and cover it. Leave it somewhere warm until doubled. Shaping the buns takes some practice.
6. Divide the dough into sixteen pieces. Roll each into a ball and rest them for ten minutes. Roll one ball into a disc about ten centimetres across. Keep the centre thicker than the edges. That thicker centre supports the filling and stops it splitting.
7. Put a heaped tablespoon of cold filling in the centre. Hold the disc in one open palm. Pleat the edge with your other hand, turning as you go. Pinch the twist firmly so it does not open. Set each bun on a square of baking paper. Cover the shaped buns loosely. Let them prove for thirty to forty minutes. They should look visibly puffed and feel light.
8. Bring water in the steamer to a rolling boil. Wrap the lid in a clean cloth. Arrange the buns with space between them. Steam them for fifteen minutes over a steady boil. Turn the heat off and wait two minutes before lifting the lid. A sudden rush of cold air makes the buns wrinkle and collapse.
9. Lift the lid away from you and slowly. The buns should be pure white, smooth and domed. Serve them straight from the steamer. They keep for two days and are re-steamed to soften.

Technique

• Cool and chill the filling completely, since warm filling melts the dough.
• Wrap the steamer lid in a cloth, as a single drip of condensation marks the bun.
• Wait two minutes before lifting the lid, or the buns wrinkle and collapse.

Substitutions

• Shop-bought char siu pork, which saves considerable time.
• Vegetable shortening in place of lard.

Variations

• Filled with curried chicken, which some bakeries make.
• Made without the red colouring.
• Made larger, as a full meal in one bun.

History

Chinese migrants to Trinidad adapted char siu bao into pow, now sold from bakeries and roadside stalls island-wide.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pow?

Pow is a snack from Trinidad and Tobago: soft steamed bun filled with sweet-savoury red pork. Chinese migrants to Trinidad adapted char siu bao into pow, now sold from bakeries and roadside stalls island-wide.

How long does Pow take to make?

Pow takes 1 hour plus 2 hours rising of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 16 buns. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Pow?

Yes, within limits. Shop-bought char siu pork, which saves considerable time. Vegetable shortening in place of lard.