BREAKFAST BAO SANDWICH

Who doesn’t love a very British fried breakfast sandwich? Being a huge fan myself, I thought how could I make this more Chinese and serve it in my Hong Kong-style café bar? The answer was quite simple: let’s take the classic fry-up ingredients and serve them in a freshly steamed Chinese bun.

2 large mushrooms (flat or portobello)

2 pre-cooked frozen sandwich bao

4 bacon medallions or rashers (slices) of back bacon

2 eggs

4 processed cheese slices

From the store cupboard

2 tbsp oil (vegetable, groundnut or coconut), plus extra for rubbing

pinch of salt

pinch of white pepper

Clean the mushrooms and remove the stalks, then gently rub with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Set to one side.

Preheat your steamer. If using a bamboo steamer, fill a saucepan with water, bring to a rolling boil and set the steamer over the pan. Once boiling, steam your sandwich bao for 10 minutes.

Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of the oil and then your mushrooms. Fry for 3–4 minutes and then flip them over and fry for a further 2 minutes. Now add the bacon and continue to fry for 4–5 minutes, flipping occasionally to prevent catching. Transfer the cooked mushrooms and bacon to a warmed plate.

Wipe the frying pan clean and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Fry the eggs for 2 minutes, then flip over and fry for a further minute (longer if you like your eggs well done).

Remove the sandwich bao from the steamer, place on a warmed plate and begin to build your sandwich. Layer a slice of cheese followed by the mushroom and then 2 slices of the bacon, topping with the fried egg and a final slice of cheese.

Serve and enjoy.