Banh Bao

Warm the milk and water to 35–40 °C, dissolve the sugar in it, sprinkle in the dry yeast and leave for 10 minutes until the mixture turns frothy.

Add the flour, baking powder and oil, and knead a soft, non-sticky dough for 10 minutes. Cover the bowl and leave the dough in a warm place for 90 minutes to roughly double in size.

Hard-boil the quail eggs for 4–5 minutes, cool them in cold water and peel.

Heat oil in a pan, sauté the onion for 1 minute, add the pork and break it up with a spatula. Add the finely chopped shiitake mushrooms, oyster sauce and soy sauce, salt and black pepper; cook for 5–7 minutes until the meat is fully cooked, then let the filling cool.

Knock back the dough, divide it into 5 pieces and roll each one into a 10–12 cm circle, leaving the center a bit thicker than the edges. Place the filling and 1–2 quail eggs in the center, gather the edges up and pinch them tightly closed.

Place the buns on an oiled steamer rack, let them rest for 10 minutes, then steam over briskly boiling water for 15–20 minutes with the lid on.

Turn off the heat and keep the lid closed for another 3 minutes so the banh bao don't collapse; serve hot.