Chinese Sliders (roujiamo) Recipe

Make dough

In a large bowl combine flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to distribute. Make a well, add warm water and vegetable oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.

Knead

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 6–8 minutes until smooth and elastic. If using a stand mixer, knead with dough hook 4–5 minutes. Dough should be soft but not sticky; add a teaspoon of flour or water as needed.

First rise

Form dough into a ball, lightly oil the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 60 minutes.

Portion

Punch down dough and transfer to a work surface. Divide into 10 equal pieces (about 55–60 g / 2 oz each). Roll each into a ball and then flatten gently into a 3-inch disc.

Second rise and shape

Place rounds on a parchment-lined tray about 1-inch apart, cover lightly, and allow to rest 20–30 minutes until puffy. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).

Bake

Brush tops with melted butter. Bake in preheated oven 10–12 minutes until golden-brown on top and cooked through. Remove and cool on a rack for 5 minutes. When slightly cooled, slice each bun horizontally but not all the way through to create a pocket for filling.

Prep meat

If not already finely chopped, remove visible fat from pork shoulder and finely chop or pulse briefly in a food processor to a coarse mince (small pea-sized pieces). Pat lightly dry with paper towels.

Sauté aromatics

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic and stir-fry 30 seconds until fragrant but not brown.

Brown pork

Add the chopped pork to the skillet in a single layer. Let it sit undisturbed 1 minute to brown, then stir and break up any larger clumps. Cook 3–4 minutes until color changes and most pieces are no longer pink.

Season and simmer

Stir in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, white pepper and kosher salt. Pour in chicken broth (or water) and bring to a low simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid reduces slightly.

Thicken

Make a slurry by mixing 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp cold water. Stir slurry into the simmering pork and cook 1–2 minutes until mixture thickens and coats the meat. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Finish

Turn off heat and stir in toasted sesame oil. Keep filling warm until assembly. If preparing ahead, cool and refrigerate; reheat gently and add a splash of broth if too thick.

Prep garnishes

Thinly slice green onions (white and green parts separated if desired). Dice green bell pepper into small pieces (about 1/4-inch). Roughly chop cilantro. Toss the green onions, bell pepper and cilantro together in a small bowl and add the optional chili crisp if you like heat.

Fill buns

Open each warm bun pocket. Spoon about 2–3 tablespoons of hot pork filling into each bun (adjust to taste). Top with roughly 1 tablespoon of the green onion/bell pepper/cilantro mixture. Add a few drops of chili oil or 1/4 tsp chili crisp if using.

Serve

Serve immediately while buns and filling are warm. These sliders are best eaten the same day; leftover filling can be refrigerated and buns can be reheated or refreshed in a toaster oven.