Recipe: Pulled Pork Bao Buns, and keeping cooking simple and fun

For Marianne Rogerson, cooking has always been about more than putting dinner on the table. Inspired by her father’s love of homemade food, she has turned a lifelong passion into a business that encourages others to rediscover the joy of cooking.

The smell of freshly baked scones, a pot of homemade jam bubbling on the stove and the comforting aroma of Sunday lunch are the sorts of childhood memories that stay with us for a lifetime.

For Marianne Rogerson, the woman behind the popular food blog Mama Loves to Cook, those memories are particularly special. Her love affair with cooking began at her father’s side, watching him turn simple ingredients into delicious homemade meals. “I owe my love of cooking to my dad,” Marianne says. “His passion for the kitchen inspired me from an early age. He made everything from scratch, from bone broth and jam to pastry, gravy and scones, and I spent a lot of time in the kitchen learning from him.”

But the most valuable lesson he passed on wasn’t a recipe or cooking technique. It was the understanding that food can be one of the simplest ways to show someone you care.

“Dad was always so thoughtful about making special meals for people, putting time and care into what he cooked to show them how much they meant to him. That’s something that has stayed with me.”

It’s a philosophy Marianne now brings to her own family kitchen, whether she’s preparing a nourishing dinner for family or friends at a dinner party.

Rediscovering the fun in cooking

After decades of planning family meals, even the most enthusiastic home cooks can find themselves stuck in a rut, wondering what on earth to make for dinner.

Marianne believes the secret to keeping things interesting is to experiment rather than slavishly follow recipes.

“I think the key to making cooking fun is not being afraid to experiment,” she says. “Try new flavours, play around with ingredients and don’t feel you always have to follow a recipe to the letter.”

She takes inspiration from legendary television chef Julia Child, whose infectious enthusiasm encouraged generations of home cooks to embrace their kitchens with confidence. “As the great Julia Child said: ‘You’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude!’ I’ll often say to my family, ‘Bear with me, tonight is a bit of an experiment!'”

While Marianne enjoys getting creative, she’s equally passionate about making cooking practical. After all, life can get so busy. She’s also a firm believer in letting modern appliances do the heavy lifting. “My Thermomix, air fryer and rice cooker are the real workhorses in my kitchen,” she says. “They take care of so many jobs, meaning I can spend less time in the kitchen on busy evenings without compromising on homemade meals.”

A world of culinary inspiration

Although her father’s traditional cooking first sparked her passion, spending 12 years living in Asia introduced Marianne to an entirely new world of flavours. Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese cuisines became particular favourites, inspiring her to experiment with unfamiliar ingredients and cooking techniques.

“Cooking is my creative outlet,” she says. “I’d love to be good at painting or drawing, but stick figures are a push for me, so all my creativity gets unleashed in the kitchen.”

Her enthusiasm for food goes hand in hand with another great love: travel. Whenever Marianne visits a new destination, she makes a point of joining a local food tour. From Hanoi and Bangkok to Hong Kong, Taipei and Seoul, she’s discovered that exploring a city’s food scene offers a fascinating glimpse into its history and culture.

“You can learn so much about a culture through its food, and a good guide will share the history behind the ingredients and dishes you’re tasting.”

“Plus, they’re a great source of restaurant recommendations for the rest of your trip!”

Cooking classes are another travel highlight. She’s taken them in Bali, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore and beyond, returning home with new techniques and flavour combinations to try in her own kitchen. One particularly memorable experience came while living in Hong Kong, where she learnt to make traditional Chinese dumplings. “That recipe has since become one of the most popular on my food blog, and is a lovely reminder of how my travels continue to inspire my cooking.”

Turning a passion into a business

Around seven years ago, Marianne decided to share her enthusiasm with a wider audience, launching Mama Loves to Cook to help busy parents answer two familiar questions: what’s for dinner, and what should go in the children’s lunch boxes?

What began as a food blog has since developed into an online cooking community, featuring an extensive collection of recipes designed for everyday home cooks. There’s a particular emphasis on making the most of popular kitchen appliances, with a large collection of Thermomix recipes and an expanding range of air fryer dishes.

Marianne also shares cooking demonstrations and tips through her YouTube channel, while her Facebook page, community groups and weekly newsletter give fellow food lovers opportunities to exchange ideas and discover new recipes.

For Marianne, the satisfaction comes from helping people prepare delicious homemade meals without spending hours in the kitchen or mastering complicated techniques. “At the heart of it all is the same goal I started with: helping people make delicious homemade food without it feeling like a chore,” she says.

“I love being able to share recipes that work in real family kitchens, whether that’s an easy midweek dinner, something to pop into the kids’ lunch boxes or a homemade treat to enjoy together.”

And despite the success of her business and the many culinary adventures she’s enjoyed, Marianne’s approach to cooking remains firmly rooted in the lessons she learnt from her father. Good food doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive, and the most memorable meals aren’t necessarily the most elaborate.

Making Marianne’s pulled pork bao buns

These pulled pork bao buns are super easy to make. Just throw everything into the slow cooker, and you have delicious, juicy, Asian-style pulled pork with minimal fuss. Then you just need to steam some bao buns, make some salad, and you’re done.

You can keep the pork warm in the slow cooker until you are ready to serve, making it a great recipe for busy evenings. If you have any leftovers, it freezes really well. Then you have a quick and easy meal for later.

Ingredients:

1.8kg pork shoulder

3/4 cup hoi sin sauce

3 cloves garlic, crushed or grated

1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) or dry sherry

1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

To serve:

12 Bao Buns

Asian slaw (or shredded cabbage and julienned carrots)

Slice cucumber

Coriander leaves

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients except the pork in a bowl and mix well.
2. Place the pork shoulder skin side up in the slow cooker and pour over the sauce. Use your hands to massage the sauce into the pork to ensure it is completely smothered.
3. Add the lid and set the slow cooker to HIGH for 4.5 hours (or LOW for 9-10 hours).
4. Remove the pork from the slow cooker. Remove the fat and discard. Use two forks to shred the meat.
5. Transfer the sauce/liquid from the slow cooker into a jug.
6. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker. Add enough of the sauce so that it is nice and juicy (not so much that it is too soggy).
7. Keep the pork warm in the slow cooker until ready to serve.
8. Cook the bao buns according to packet instructions (usually steaming in a basket over boiling water for around 10 minutes).
9. Serve each bao bun filled with pork, vegetables and a few coriander leaves.
10. Add extra Hoi sin sauce, chilli sauce, peanuts, sliced green onions, sriracha mayonnaise or any other toppings to taste.

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