Hong Kong Diner by Jeremy Pang

Jeremy Pang descends from a long line of Chinese chefs. He developed his passion for food early on and understood the importance of, and correlation between, basic cooking skills and eating well. Pang credits his father for his love of food as he was the one who encouraged him to try exciting flavours and exotic foods as a boy.

After graduating as a biochemical engineer and working for various companies, Pang realized his true passion was food and enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu. After working in several restaurants and spending time as a travel journalist in South East Asia, Jeremy decided that he wanted to teach his craft to others. 

In the Fall of 2009 Jeremy started the School of Wok in London, then a mobile cookery school specializing in teaching Eastern cuisine to students in the comfort of their own homes. That business has grown into a brick and mortar school in Covent Gardens near London’s Chinatown. 

His passion for teaching is reflected in his first cookbook, Essential Chinese Cooking: Authentic Chinese Recipes, Broken Down into Easy Techniques (published under the title Chinese Unchopped in the UK). It is a beautiful primer on creating Chinese dishes at home with stunning photography and helpful illustrations. We are indexing this title soon and I hope to provide a full review at that time.

Now the talented chef and author has written book two: Hong Kong Diner: Recipes for Baos, Hotpots, Street Snacks and More. This title explores the east-meets-west diner-food of Hong Kong, a fast-moving city with countless styles of dining and diverse ingredients. Its cuisine draws on everything from classic Chinese to America’s west coast to French Vietnamese. 

Chef Jeremy Pang grew up in Hong Kong and for him, Hong Kong Diner represents comfort food at its finest: Beef brisket noodle soup sits alongside Peanut butter French toast, Claypot rice beside Savoury doughnuts, Pineapple buns next to Milk tea, and he expertly brings together in this book the very best dishes that the city has to offer.

Featuring over 70 recipes including irresistible street food like dumplings, buns and baos, tofu rolls and BBQ, through hotpots, rice pots, fried noodles, as well as desserts and drinks, the secrets of Hong Kong’s cafes and food stalls are brought to life in this unique book. Hong Kong Diner is inspired by an exciting, unconventional place, where western sensibilities and food tastes overlap with an ancient cuisine, and whose influence is being seen in restaurants and dining scenes the world over. Vibrant photography and cutting-edge design also add to the cool factor of this must have book. 

The Black pepper beef and potatoes, Hong Kong style were so good and a refreshing twist on meat and potatoes. The photo in the book shows it served with rice but I served the dish on its own. The Cantonese pork chops is the next recipe from this book that I plan to make as well as the Bao buns. I’ve had making homemade bao buns on my list of things for a year now – time to scratch that off.

Update 4/23: see our  for a closer look at this title.

Special thanks to Quadrille for sharing the Bao dough and Black pepper glazed short rib Bao recipes with our members today. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to enter our multi-region giveaway. 

 

Black pepper glazed short rib bao
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Baos, burgers and sliders have been setting food trends around the world for years now. We tried a version of this slider in a new organic restaurant called Sohofama in Hong Kong, which seems to be leading the way in urban farming and healthier cooking styles, while still managing to maintain the best part of traditional Chinese cooking techniques to create delicious dishes like this. When cooking this short rib bao, feel free to try out the different folds – the hirata bun fold or burger bao fold will both work well with the slow-cooked short rib. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to make your bao dough and preferred bao shapes, steaming them just before you finish off the tender meat to make your luxurious buns.

Serves 4

  • 4 beef short ribs, separated
  • 1/2 a portion of bao dough, ready to make 8-10 steamed hirata buns or burger baos

The poaching liquid

  • 1 star anise
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 litre (1 3/4 pints / 4 cups) water

The glaze

  • 3 tablespoons jarred Chinese black pepper sauce (available in Chinese supermarkets)
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 4 teaspoons sugar

Place the short ribs in a large saucepan and add all the poaching liquid ingredients. Bring to the boil on a high heat, then lower to a gentle simmer. Poach the beef ribs on a low heat for 3 hours, until the meat starts to fall off the bone but still keeps its shape.

While the meat is cooking, make your bao buns if you haven’t made them beforehand.

Mix the glaze ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Once the ribs have been poached, remove them from the poaching liquid and carefully remove the bones, leaving the meat itself whole and intact as much as possible.

Cut each long piece of meat in half vertically, in order to make more reasonably sized portions that will fit well into the steamed buns. Put the pieces of meat into the bowl of glaze and gently coat the pieces of meat, using a spoon to baste on all surfaces and sides.

Just before you finish glazing the meat, start steaming your bao buns. Char each side of the meat under a hot grill (minimum 230ยฐC / 450ยฐF) on a lined baking tray or unlined rack, or finish directly on the barbecue. Serve one piece of short rib to one steamed bun for ease of eating (with only moderate gluttony), along with some pickles or salad and condiments on the side.

Bao dough
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Fluffy, pillowy white baos hit China, Hong Kong and Japan many years ago, but it wasn’t until recently that they became a mainstream street snack in the West. With our clear love of burgers and all things bread, it’s no wonder these softer, slightly sweeter breads are so moreish, no matter where in the world we are. The airy texture is great for mopping up sauces, while their firmness makes them the perfect bun to keep a sandwich together. This simple bao dough recipe will get you going, but be warned, trying out new shapes is addictive!

Makes 10 large or 16-20 mini bao

The dry mix 

  • 530g (1lb 3oz / 4 cups) middle-gluten wheat flour (swapsies: plain flour / all-purpose flour), plus extra for dusting
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 7g (just under 1/4 oz or 1 sachet) fast-action dried yeast
  • 40g (1 1/2 oz) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
  • 15g (1/2 oz) baking powder

The liquid

  • 50ml (2fl oz) milk
  • 200-250ml (7-8fl oz / about 1 cup) warm water (depending on how humid your room feels – if the air feels very dry you’ll want to add a little more water, but if it is very humid, less is required)
  • 25ml (1fl oz) vegetable or sunflower oil

Put the dry mix ingredients into the bowl of a free-standing mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.

Mix the liquid ingredients in a measuring jug. Then slowly pour the liquid into the mixer while kneading on a low speed for around 2 minutes, until all the water is mixed into the flour. Once combined, turn the speed up to high for a further 2 minutes, until the dough has a smooth yet tacky feel to it.

Once the dough has been well kneaded, dust it with 2 tablespoons of flour. Shape the dough into a rough ball, scraping off any additional dough on the sides of the bowl, then coat it lightly with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, put it back into the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave aside in a warm, preferably moist, draught-free location (such as inside a room-temperature oven) for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Once the dough has doubled in size, you can make it into whatever shapes you wish before steaming. Steaming time will vary between 8 and 15 minutes, depending on the shape and size of your finished buns (the thinner the bun, the shorter the steaming time).

Making bao shapes

This bao dough is classically a type of steamed bread dough that originated from northern China for making breads such as mantou (a pure steamed bread for mopping up sauces) or baozi (a filled steamed bread). It is a simple yeast dough that rises over time when proved at the right temperature, making it much easier to make than most people think. After the first 1 1/2 hours of proving, the dough can be shaped into burgers, hirata buns, or even more classic dumpling shapes, to hold whatever filling suits you best. Here are some simple shapes to start with, followed by some delicious fillings you can use to mix and match your baos.

Hirata bao: the sandwich

Roll the proved bao dough out until completely flat and roughly 4mm (1/4 inch) in thickness, then cut into either rectangles or circles. If cutting circles, roll them out again once cut, to make elongated oval shapes. Once all the shapes have been cut, lightly brush the top of each one with a dab of vegetable oil. Place an oiled chopstick across the centre of each piece of dough and fold one side over the top to form a ‘lip’, then remove the chopstick. Once you have made the sandwich shapes, cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rest for 15-20 minutes.

Burger bao: the slider 

To make a burger-shaped bao, roll the proved bao dough into a long cylinder, roughly 3-4cm then cut the cylinder into 3-4cm (1 1/4 -1 1/2 inch) thick pieces. Roll each piece of dough in your hands to form a smooth ball. Take a ball of dough and press down firmly with the palm of your hand to form a flattened circle. Brush with a little dab of vegetable oil, then place another piece of dough on top. Slightly dome or cup your hand and press down once more to form the 2 halves of your burger bun shape, the bottom bun being completely flat and the top being domed. Repeat until all the dough has been used. Once you have made your burger bao shapes, cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rest for 15-20 minutes.

Cooking method

The same cooking method is used for all of the bao shapes.

Place bao on squares of greaseproof paper and then steam for 8-15 minutes (depending on the size of your bao) in a covered steam basket, inside a wok half-filled with boiling water, without opening the lid, until cooked through and risen well.

Excerpted with permission from Hong Kong Diner by Jeremy Pang and Adrienne Katz Kennedy, published by Quadrille October 2017, RRP $22.99 hardcover.

The publisher is offering three copies of this book to EYB Members in the US, UK, NZ and AU. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on May 31st, 2018.

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97 Comments

  • hungryinhouston  on  April 17, 2018

    I would love to try the Crispy tofu rolls with prawns and asparagus!

  • camtncook  on  April 17, 2018

    Looks like a great title

  • circ2000  on  April 17, 2018

    Gotta be the BBQ

  • kitchen_chick  on  April 17, 2018

    Enoki beef wrap

  • jmay42066  on  April 17, 2018

    Beef brisket curried noodles

  • rchesser  on  April 17, 2018

    Oyster sauce beef fillet & egg yolk claypot.

  • GillB  on  April 17, 2018

    cumin beef and spring onion fried bao

  • thecharlah  on  April 17, 2018

    Little cart noodles (Che zei mien)

  • danielis  on  April 17, 2018

    Cheat's egg tarts (YUMMM!)

  • JJWong  on  April 17, 2018

    I'd love to learn so many of these recipes. I've grown up eating many of these treats. The first thing I'd make is the salt baked chicken, one of my FAVORITES!

  • Aproporpoise  on  April 17, 2018

    Clay pot rice with XO ribs!!

  • Execchef1225  on  April 18, 2018

    Cumin beef is one of my favorites

  • Livia  on  April 18, 2018

    It has got to be the Slow braised ham hock in yellow bean sauce, white pepper & five-spice ๐Ÿ™‚

  • contest718  on  April 18, 2018

    Bao dough and Black pepper glazed short rib bao because that looks so good or I am just starving at 6:45am lol

  • sarahawker  on  April 18, 2018

    Chinese savoury dougnut

  • kmn4  on  April 18, 2018

    Hong Kong char siu

  • robynsanyal  on  April 18, 2018

    Beef brisket curried noodles

  • jazzyjulie  on  April 18, 2018

    Roasted Sweet Potato

  • SarahSausage  on  April 19, 2018

    The short rib baos look amazing!

  • ravensfan  on  April 19, 2018

    Black pepper glazed short rib bao

  • katehenderson  on  April 19, 2018

    Hong Kong char sui

  • mjes  on  April 19, 2018

    leaning towards the simple Shiitake on a stick

  • nesshawk  on  April 19, 2018

    clay pot rice with XO ribs

  • lebarron2001  on  April 20, 2018

    Dry-fried green beans with pork mince chilli & dark soy

  • tamt  on  April 20, 2018

    Ultimate barbeque sauce

  • t.t  on  April 20, 2018

    Fried stuffed tofu

  • kitcheness  on  April 20, 2018

    Andy Lai's chiu chow oyster cake

  • Trins  on  April 20, 2018

    Enoki beef wrap

  • lapsapchung  on  April 21, 2018

    Cumin beef & spring onions fried baos

  • finnsmom64  on  April 21, 2018

    Beef brisket curried noodles

  • Shelley.b  on  April 21, 2018

    Black pepper glazed short rib bao

  • RSW  on  April 21, 2018

    Bao dough

  • GregH  on  April 21, 2018

    Beef brisket curried noodles

  • lgroom  on  April 21, 2018

    Beef brisket curried noodles

  • sugo  on  April 22, 2018

    Curried octopus tentacle

  • nadiam1000  on  April 22, 2018

    Fragrant aubergine with minced pork

  • sgump  on  April 23, 2018

    Wow–looks great. Haven't been to Hong Kong in 20 years! I'd try the tomato egg with spring onion, since it looks easy–and easily recreatable Stateside.

  • verorenee  on  April 23, 2018

    Garlic & chilli tiger prawns

  • EmilyR  on  April 24, 2018

    Soy-poached chicken with sesame sha cha dipping sauce

  • LaurenE  on  April 24, 2018

    Enoki beef wrap

  • Ishtar  on  April 24, 2018

    Bright green pandas Swiss roll

  • Ishtar  on  April 24, 2018

    Pandan!

  • TheHummer  on  April 24, 2018

    Black pepper beef & potatoes Hong Kong style

  • TippyCanoe  on  April 25, 2018

    Black pepper glazed short rib bao

  • love2chow  on  April 25, 2018

    Black pepper beef & potatoes Hong Kong style looks really good. Also
    Uncle Ken's baked pineapple buns (Bo lo bao)

  • topdawg11  on  April 25, 2018

    Fragrant aubergine with minced pork.

  • aldebaran  on  April 26, 2018

    I want to try basically all the dumplings, but especially the pak choi & kale.

  • sparkfan1965  on  April 26, 2018

    I plan on trying the Black pepper glazed short rib bao this weekend!

  • shellee  on  April 26, 2018

    Roasted sweet potato ๐Ÿ™‚

  • PeavineBlues  on  April 26, 2018

    Seafood baos

  • sipa  on  April 26, 2018

    Garlic & chilli tiger prawns

  • alex9179  on  April 26, 2018

    Any bao, any time!

  • jd5761  on  April 26, 2018

    Fried Stuffed Tofu for me

  • fbrunetti  on  April 27, 2018

    Hong Kong classic curried fish balls

  • Cornfed23  on  April 27, 2018

    Cumin beef and spring onion bao

  • jezpurr  on  April 27, 2018

    Cumin beef & spring onions fried baos and
    Black pepper glazed short rib bao!!!^_^

  • sequoia55  on  April 28, 2018

    Black pepper glazed short rib bao

  • Dannausc  on  April 28, 2018

    Marbled tea eggs

  • hibeez  on  April 28, 2018

    Double-sided crispy chive roll!

  • chimpbob  on  April 28, 2018

    Beef Brisket curried noodles

  • rachael_mc  on  April 28, 2018

    Curried octopus tentacle

  • MiMi60  on  April 28, 2018

    Leftover stir-fry (Mei chum siu chow)

  • marsmomma  on  April 28, 2018

    I love ham hocks so I'd try Slow braised ham hock in yellow bean sauce, white pepper & five-spice first.

  • Emmydee  on  April 29, 2018

    Just have to try the Cumin Beef & Spring Onion Fried Baos!

  • Sfgordon  on  April 29, 2018

    Double-sided crispy chive roll

  • JP  on  April 29, 2018

    Claypot rice with XO ribs

  • Werepanda  on  April 30, 2018

    Crispy fish crackling – I am sooo intrigued!

  • mombaker247  on  April 30, 2018

    clay pot rice with short ribs

  • sfgirluk  on  April 30, 2018

    Just to try the bao dough would be fun!

  • WCchopper  on  April 30, 2018

    I just bought a jar of sha cha sauce so I think I'd have to do the soy-poached chicken with sesame sha cha dipping sauce

  • sarahj22  on  May 1, 2018

    This book looks amazing. Very tempted by the bao and the crispy fish crackling but first on my list would be the Hong Kong char sui.

  • motherofpearl81  on  May 1, 2018

    Shiitake on a stick

  • jillrowe  on  May 1, 2018

    Claypot rice with XO ribs !

  • Teruska  on  May 2, 2018

    Since they seem to go with almost everything, I'd make the Little Cart Noodles. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  • sywcindy  on  May 3, 2018

    Bright green pandan Swiss roll

  • SallyCristina  on  May 3, 2018

    Kai lan, Chinese sausage & wind dried ham with ginger & spring onion

  • copycath2018  on  May 4, 2018

    Roasted sweet potato

  • susiebee  on  May 4, 2018

    Watercress dumplings – the unhappy fish fold??? Poor fish

  • fluffysammy  on  May 4, 2018

    The curried noodles and brisket sounds lovely

  • heyjude  on  May 7, 2018

    Crispy Fish Crackling. One of my granddaughter's favorite treats

  • parnassus  on  May 7, 2018

    ooooooyster cake

  • AnnaZed  on  May 9, 2018

    Double-sided crispy chive roll

  • cake17uk  on  May 12, 2018

    Black pepper glazed short rib bao – looks and sounds delicious

  • catmommy9  on  May 13, 2018

    Cumin beef & spring onions fried baos

  • sarahcooks  on  May 16, 2018

    Aubergine and ground pork

  • Radley  on  May 17, 2018

    3 steamed egg

  • littleminxgirl  on  May 17, 2018

    My brother learned how to make Boa when he was in Thailand, so I'd love to learn to make them too

  • Siegal  on  May 19, 2018

    I want to make fried stuffed tofu

  • SarahGelle  on  May 21, 2018

    Definitely the beef brisket curried noodles

  • eatysmith  on  May 23, 2018

    "Which recipe in the index would you try first?" Wonton braised noodles with tobiko!

  • annime  on  May 25, 2018

    fried stuffed tofu

  • Curlyfatkins  on  May 28, 2018

    Enoki beef wrap

  • orchidlady01  on  May 28, 2018

    Peanut butter French toast with condensed milk

  • robynsanyal  on  May 29, 2018

    Garlic & chili tiger prawns

  • NaomiH  on  May 30, 2018

    Tomato egg with spring onion

  • jigglesfrog  on  May 31, 2018

    Marbled tea eggs

  • milgwimper  on  May 31, 2018

    Fried Stuffed Tofu

Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!