If you're looking for a cooking project this weekend, get the yeast out and give Kathy Paterson's steamed buns a go. I imagine there's a great deal of satisfaction in having made these, the bun du jour, from scratch and it's good to know you can freeze them because they're a handy thing to have on hand for weekend lunches, stuffing them with whatever you have on hand - leftover roast pork and crackling is a favourite in my house.
![Making bao buns. Photo / Bite magazine](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/BAVSZOVMS5WKEGHQSU2O4ZFTCQ.jpg?auth=d19812b47892d07fc4dc042e9c43b97da1ac55dd508024305ba33dc9ee8e8a45&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
In fact I am thinking that Laurie's pork brussels sprouts and apple sauce would make a great filling this week. Kathy is filling hers with crispy fried chicken and pickled vegetables.
For more inspiration, Mt Albert's Chinoiserie - where I can be found regularly tucking in to bao buns -do a tofu and satay sauce variation, a fried squid with coconut sambal and a slow-cooked beef cheek with kimchi, so you are only limited by your imagination.