When you think of Latvia, what do you think of? Herring under a fur coat (yes, that’s a real dish – a salad, apparently)? Borscht? Pork with dumplings? Whatever sprung to mind first, it probably wasn’t bao buns, but we shouldn’t be so presumptuous, patronising, even. Latvia is home to exceptional bao thanks to Bao Bun Latvia, where fresh, zesty fillings sit inside those famous Taiwanese bread pillows.
Ingredients:
8 bao buns
1kg duck legs
Thyme, rosemary, orange, star anise, cinnamon stick
Oil
Red cabbage
Korean carrots
Fresh cucumber
Marinated red radishes
Sesame, spring onions for decorating
Hoisin sauce
Jalapeño-sour cream sauce
Prep:
Lightly season duck with salt and freshly ground pepper, leave it for 2 hours, wash off the salt mixture.
Add thyme, rosemary, orange, star anise, cinnamon stick and duck to the oil, cover with aluminium foil and bake in oven at 110C for 6 hours. Let it cool and shred it.
Make hoisin and sour cream sauce, marinated radishes and Korean carrots – recipes below.
Cut cabbage and cucumber into thin slices, put aside for later.
Toast sesame seeds, put aside.
Chop spring onion.
Hoisin:
250g hoisin sauce
100ml sweet chilli
50ml light soy sauce
20ml Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves crushed garlic
20g peeled ginger
20ml lime juice
100g brown sugar
Heat up all ingredients till sugar dissolves, strain, allow to cool.
Jalapeño sauce:
400g sour cream
200g marinated jalapeño
200g marinated cucumbers
Mix together in a bowl.
Korean carrots:
1kg peeled carrots
500ml oil
10g coriander seeds
120g sugar
20g salt
150ml vinegar
3 crushed garlic cloves
Heat oil with garlic, grate carrots and mix with salt, sugar, crushed coriander seeds and vinegar, pour oil over carrots.
Marinated radishes:
1kg radishes
250ml vinegar
500ml water
200g sugar
20g salt
Slice radishes as thinly as possible, make marinade with water, vinegar, sugar and salt, heat until sugar dissolves, pour over radishes.
Plating:
Heat buns in dim sum basket or steaming pot.
Heat duck confit with hoisin sauce.
In this order, fill buns with: duck confit, cabbage, Korean carrots, sour cream sauce, cucumber, marinated radishes, sesame seeds, spring onions.
