INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 lb oxtails
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 slices ginger
• 4-6 cloves garlic
• 2 whole star anise
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 stalks scallion, roughly chopped (to be removed later)
• 2-3 sichuan peppercorns
• 1/4 cup shaoxing wine
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar (rock s sugar if you have it)
• citrus peel
• 1.5 cups stock
• Salt
• 1 cup mushrooms (I like beech, but sliced shiitake works well here too)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour

• 400g flour
• 220g milk, lukewarm
• 1.5 tbsp active dry yeast
• 20g sugar

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Rinse oxtail and pat dry. Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown all sides until golden brown.
2. Remove oxtails from pot, set aside. Add in ginger, scallions, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, peppercorns. Cook until aromatic, around 2 minutes.
3. Add in shaoxing wine, soy sauces, sugar, water and deglaze pot. Place oxtails back in, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 2-3 hours, until meat is fork-tender and falls off the bone. Add more water if necessary!
4. When oxtail is fork-tender, remove from pot. Use a fork to remove and shred meat. Set aside. Reserve a few tablespoons of braising fluid. Cook mushrooms over oil and then melt butter. Add in flour and whisk until thick. Thicken with braising fluid until you obtain the consistency you want. Toss oxtail shreds with mushroom gravy mixture and let cool completely.
5. Mix warm milk with yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy. In a separate bowl, add flour. Make a well in the center and add milk/yeast mixture. Stir with chopsticks until a dough starts to form.
6. Knead until the dough, bowl, and hands are clean and shiny. (10 minutes – ps, this is an old Chinese saying to indicate when the dough is ready to rise!)
7. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours.
8. Punch dough down and knead a few times, then get ready to make baozi.
9. Roll into a log, divide into 6 pieces. Use a rolling pin to roll around the edges, so that the edges are thinner than the middle. Spoon cooled oxtail-mushroom mixture. Pleat and seal (see GIF above for illustration).
10. Bring cold water to a boil. Put steamer on, place lid on, steam for 15-17 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit for 2 more minutes.