To prepare the red braised pork filling: Over a low flame, fry the sugar in with the oil for 2-3 minutes to melt it slightly. Add in pork belly, ginger and scallion white, fry until browned, 4-5 minutes. Add the hot, boiled water, together with the wine, the soy sauce, the dark soy sauce, and the five spice powder. Cook on low heat until the sauce has reduced to only about ½ cup, ~15 minutes. Season with salt and MSG, then thicken with the cornstarch slurry. Set aside to cool down.

To prepare the sweet potato filling: Peel and cut the sweet potato, arrange it into a layer on a plate, add water, cover and microwave on medium high for 4 minutes. Mash in the sugar, the melted butter, and the sweetened condensed milk.

Phase 1: Making the base dough. Combine flour and water and mix into a rough ball. Cover, and set aside in a cool place to autolyze for 45 minutes. Cut the dough in smaller pieces, mix in the salt, honey, and yeast. If going the cheese route, also add in the cheese; the sweet potato, the brown sugar. Knead until everything is combined, and the dough is no longer sticking to your hands, 3-5 minutes. Use the slap and fold method, slap for about 150 times, or until you can get a hole with a smooth-ish ring for the windowpane test.

Phase 2: Shaping and stuffing. Divide the dough in eight, for eight bagels. Shape into a ball. Cover and rest for 20 minutes. Roll each ball into a very rough ‘rectangle’, roughly 18-20cm long and 15 cm wide. Press down along the far length of the rectangle to allow for easier sealing. If adding any fillings, add them along the near length of the rectangle, keeping at least 2cm from each edge. Roll everything up into a log. If you are going with the red braised pork filling, fold the sides in like a Christmas present before you roll to ensure the filling doesn’t leak. Keeping the ‘seam’ side down, cover and rest the logs for 15 minutes.

Phase 3: Making the bagel ‘ring’. Gently roll the logs out to about 20-25 cm, keeping the ‘seam’ side down. Pinch one end into a sort of ‘fish tail’ shape. Take the other end, nuzzle it into the ‘fish tail’, and wrap the ‘fins’ around to hide the connection. Pinch closed, hiding the seal at the bottom. Work through all of the bagels, keeping the seam side down. Proof for about one hour.

Phase 4: Boiling, topping, and baking. After proofing, bring a pot of about one liter of water up to a rapid boil, and mix in the tablespoon of sugar. Boil the bagels for 30 seconds on each side. Remove with a strainer or spider, drip off any excess water. If adding bagel toppings, dip the bagel into your topping of choice. Place on a piece of parchment paper. Bake in a 200C preheated oven for 15 minutes. If making the triple cheese bagels, add the cheese immediately when it’s hot from the oven to let it melt. At least rest for 20 minutes before eating.