‘Char siew’ polo buns

Name: ‘Char siew’ polo buns
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Makes 10 buns
Cuisine: Singaporean
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; ½ cup (125 ml) lukewarm water; drop of yellow food colouring – optional; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 2 teaspoons white sugar; 1 white onion, diced; 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon plain flour; pinch of white pepper; ¼ cup (60 ml) coconut milk; ¼ cup (50 g) vegan butter, softened; 1 tablespoon aquafaba; ¼ teaspoon almond extract; 2 teaspoons agave syrup; 2 tablespoons plant milk; 3 teaspoons custard powder; 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce; ½ teaspoon vanilla extact; ¾ cup (100 g) plain flour, sifted; ¼ cup (55 g) white sugar; ¼ teaspoon baking powder; 2½ cups (375 g) plain flour; ¾ cup (60 g) soy chunks, prepared, drained and cut in half; 2 tablespoons white sugar; ¼ teaspoon salt; ¼ cup (60 ml) aquafaba; 1 packet (2½ teaspoons) active dried yeast

Preparation info

Makes
10
buns

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
1 hr

Appears in

Jackfruit and Blue Ginger

By Sasha Gill

Published 2019

About

Why are these called ‘polo’ buns, you ask? Well, it’s a corruption of the Cantonese bo lo, which means pineapple – their mottled golden glaze crackles in the oven, making them look a little like a pineapple.

Ingredients

Biscuit dough

¼ cup (50 g) vegan butter, softened
1 tablespoon

Asia
Singapore
Malaysia
Pie
Vegan
Southeast Asia

Method

First, make the biscuit dough. In a large bowl, cream the butter until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well: it may seem dry at first, but will soon form a stiff dough. Shape into a log, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Next, the bun dough. Put the lukewarm water, coconut milk, aquafaba and sugar in a large bowl. W