STEAMED SALTED DUCK YOLK CUSTARD BUNS

The literal translation of these buns is golden sand buns，as the salted duck yolks used for the molten centres give them a sandy texture.i devoted many weeks to getting the centre of this Chinese version of a chocolate fondant just right and preventing the filling leaking during the cooking process.We shape and present these buns to look like mandarins，which signify wealth and prosperity-the most important attributes for any Chinese family This may seem like a lot of buns to make，but they freeze really well for all those times when you have forgotten to buy dessert

Makes 16 buns

INGREDIENTS

beaten egg，for sealing

16 rice net pastries，cut into 4cm discs

vegetable oil，for shallow-frying

sprigs of citrus leaves，to decorate（optional）

For the bun dough

300g low-gluten（bun）flour，plus extra for dusting

55g caster sugar

4g baking powder

4g fast-action dried yeast

about 1 ooml warm water

6g white vegetable fat，at room temperature

For the filling

1 icing sugar

55g custard powder

55g milk powder

112g baking margarine，such as Stork

1 salted duck egg yolk，steamed over a high heat for 10 minutes，then cooled and grated

2 tablespoons double cream

1.For the filling，the day before you are ready to make the buns，mix together all the ingredients to form a paste and then place in the freezer overnight to harden up-the filling must be firm otherwise it will be extremely difficult to wrap

2.For the bun dough，the next day place all the dry ingredients in an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook With the machine running pour in enough of the warm water 25ml at a time to form a firm，not-too-wet dough If you have been a little trigger-happy with the water，add a little extra flour Finally add the white fat and knead until evenly incorporated

3.Leave the dough to rest and rise in a warm place for 2 hours until doubled

4.When the dough has rested and risen，punch it down and divide it into 16 portions.The pieces of dough will be a little sticky，so dust your hands with flour before rolling into balls.Using a rolling pin，roll each ball into an 8cm-diameter circle

5.Using a melon baller or teaspoon，scoop out a 5ml portion of filling，place in the centre of each dough circle and pleat following the instructions for making the Shanghai steamed dumplings

6.Brush the pleated top of each bun with a little beaten egg and attach the net pastry discs；these will now form the base

7.Turn the buns over and place，net pastry down，on a piece of perforated silicone paper in a steamer，then steam over a high heat for 4 minutes

8. Remove from the steamer and, using a needle, make an indentation in the top of each bun te resemble the stalk end of a mandarin

9. Return to the steamer for a further 4 minutes

10. Heat a little oil in a nonstick frying pan, add the buns, net pastry base down, and fry for about 30 seconds until the bases are crispy

11. To complete the mandarin effect, insert a sprig of citrus leaves in the indentation before serving

CHEFS TIP

The rice net pastries are a ready-made product available from Chinese supermarkets, usually used to wrap around spring rolls, but here they give the buns a fantastically crisp base

hancheng

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