Butaman

Step 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, ⅞ oz sugar, ⅛ oz instant yeast and 1 tsp baking powder in a bowl. Add ¾ cup warm water and 1 tbsp vegetable oil and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth and soft like an earlobe.

Step 2: Cover and leave somewhere warm for 45–60 minutes, until doubled in size.

Step 3: Meanwhile, put 9 oz pork mince, ⅓ oz fresh ginger, 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp white pepper and 2 tbsp cold water in a bowl. Stir hard in one direction for 2 minutes, until the mince is sticky and pale.

Step 4: Toss 1 onion with 1 tbsp potato starch, fold it into the pork and chill the filling for at least 20 minutes, so it is firm enough to wrap.

Step 5: Knock back the dough, divide into 8 pieces and roll each into a 12 cm circle, a little thicker in the middle than at the edge.

Step 6: Put an eighth of the filling in the centre of each, then pleat the edge up around it and pinch tightly at the top to seal. Set each bun on a square of baking paper.

Step 7: Leave the buns to rest, covered, for 15 minutes, until slightly puffy.

Step 8: Steam over rapidly boiling water for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for 3 minutes before opening. Common mistake: lifting the lid straight away; the sudden cold makes the buns wrinkle and sink.

Step 9: Check one bun: the filling should be piping hot, at least 160°F in the middle, with clear juices. Serve hot with 2 tsp karashi (Japanese hot mustard) on the side. Freeze cooled buns and steam from frozen for 15 minutes.