Quick Pulled Pork Bao

📝 Ingredients

• 350 g pork tenderloin
• 6 shop-bought steamed bao buns (frozen or fresh, from the Asian aisle)
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 garlic cloves and 2 cm fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice
• 1 tsp neutral oil
• 20 cl water
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 carrot
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar and 1 tsp sugar
• 2 spring onions and a few sprigs of coriander

🍴 Utensils

• Sauté pan with lid
• Steamer basket (or a colander set over a saucepan)
• 2 forks
• Mixing bowl
• Cutting board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Make the quick pickles: cut the cucumber and carrot into thin matchsticks or ribbons. Mix them with the rice vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt, then leave to marinate in the fridge while the pork cooks.
2. Cut the tenderloin into 4 pieces. Heat the oil in the sauté pan over a high heat and brown them for 3 to 4 minutes on all sides until nicely coloured: this step gives the sauce all its flavour.
3. Turn down to a medium heat, add the chopped garlic and grated ginger and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, five-spice and water, then stir to coat the meat well.
4. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes over a low heat, turning the pieces halfway through. The sauce should barely bubble: a rolling boil would dry out the tenderloin and stop it from shredding.
5. Lift the pork onto a board and shred it with two forks. Reduce the remaining sauce for 3 to 5 minutes over a high heat until syrupy, then return the pork and mix well.
6. Warm the bao buns according to the packet: 3 to 4 minutes in the steamer basket set over a pan of simmering water, or 30 to 40 seconds in the microwave under a damp tea towel.
7. Open the buns and fill them with pulled pork, well-drained pickles, sliced spring onions and coriander. Allow 3 bao per person and serve straight away, while the buns are still soft.