When I was small we used to drive to Manchester and stop off
at a little bakery up some steps in Chinatown. Inside there were glass-fronted
displays of all kinds of sweet and savoury soft doughy buns, glazed and shining.
We always bought something sweet with bean paste in it, which got thrown out
after we’d taken one bite each in the back of the car but the star of our
purchases was always the pork buns. The dough itself was sweet and pillowy soft
but that filling! Tender roasted pork with honey and five spice. I didn’t know
what char siu was back then but now I try to recreate those flavours every time
I’m out of ideas with a piece of pork sitting in front of me. This time around
I had a few pieces of pork belly to use up, so I felt that the time was upon me
to try and recreate my Manchester favourite.
