Sachiko Seth brings his creativity to the kitchen, much like the 23 tattoos he proudly wears. But don’t let the edgy exterior fool you; he is a softie often springing surprises like the pork-stuffed char siu buns coming hot off the oven at Boma Asian Bakery. The bakery by Sachiko and his friend Manisha, which opened on Middleton Row in 2021 amidst the pandemic wave, serves up sweet and savoury temptations, with a side of Korean pop culture. “I believe in simplicity with a twist,” says the Kalimpong-born chef. I quite believe that because I’ve never seen Sachiko thriving on networking and socialising. In fact, his culinary creations at The Blue Poppy Thakali and Boma speak volumes without the need for small talk. He shares three recipes with us from the Boma kitchen.
Choux Pastry
Ingredients:
- Butter: 115 grams
- Sugar: 5 grams
- Milk: 100 grams
- Water: 100 grams
- Flour: 130 grams
- Eggs: 5
- Vanilla essence: 5 grams
Method:
- Take butter, sugar, milk, and water in a saucepan. Heat and let it come to a boil.
- Switch off the heat and mix in the flour vigorously.
- Take the dough out in a bowl and whisk in the eggs one by one.
- Add vanilla essence and whisk some more. The batter should be thick with no lumps.
- Pipe it onto a baking tray lined with parchment or a baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 190°C.
- Let the baked choux cool down and fill with your preferred filling like cream or custard.
Donuts
Ingredients:
- Flour: 300 grams
- Sugar: 25 grams
- Egg: 1
- Salt: 4 grams
- Milk: 25 grams
- Butter: 30 grams
- Yeast: 7 grams
- Water: 75 grams
Method:
- Mix together yeast, 10 grams of sugar, and 30 grams of water in a bowl and leave aside.
- Mix the remaining sugar, water, milk, and salt in a bowl.
- On your worktop, sieve together flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix.
- Add the egg.
- Add in the milk mixture little by little and knead into a dough.
- Lastly, add the butter and knead into a soft dough.
- Oil the insides of a big bowl and place the dough in it. Cover with wrapping plastic or a clean cloth and let the dough rise for about an hour and a half.
- When the dough rises to double its size, knead again and flatten out with a rolling pin until half an inch thick.
- Cut out donuts with a circular cutter or lid and place them on a floured tray.
- Let them rise again for 20 minutes to half an hour.
- Fry them in medium hot oil until golden brown.
- You can roll them in icing sugar or fill them with fillings of your preference, like cream, custard, chocolate cream, or jam.
Char Siu Buns
Ingredients for Char Siu Pork:
- Pork (tenderloin/shoulder): 500 grams
- Hoisin sauce: 2 tbsp
- Soy sauce: 1 tbsp
- Honey: 1 tbsp
- Oyster sauce: 1 tbsp
- Rice wine: 1 tbsp
- Sesame oil: 1 tbsp
- Garlic powder/minced garlic: 3 tsp
- Sliced green onion: 30 grams
- Sugar: 1 tbsp
Method:
- Mix all the sauces, honey, sugar, sesame oil, and rice wine in a bowl.
- If using a wok, heat oil in it and add minced garlic and fry till golden.
- Add sliced pork and fry well.
- Add the sauce mixture and toss until cooked nicely.
- Add sliced green onion and serve.
- If using an oven, baste the pork with the sauces. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt and bake for 25-30 minutes or until done.
- Baste with the sauce mixture every 10 minutes and turn.
- When baked, slice into preferred size and sprinkle with green onions.
Ingredients for Buns:
- Flour: 200 grams
- Water: 120 grams
- Sugar: 10 grams
- Salt: 3 grams
- Butter: 10 grams
- Yeast: 1 tsp
Method:
- Mix yeast, sugar, and water in a bowl.
- Sieve together other dry ingredients. Add the yeast mixture and knead.
- Lastly, add the butter and knead to a soft dough.
- Divide into equal-sized balls.
- Fill with char siu pork filling.
- Place the dough balls on a floured tray and let them rise.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180°C.
- Take out of the oven and baste with butter or oil while warm.