If the Chinese have an equivalent to brunch, it’s dimsum. The late-morning/early-afternoon weekend rituals aren’t so different, really, give or take a Bloody Mary. If there was a dimsum place on earth that topped their scallion pancakes with poached eggs–or, for that matter, a brunch joint that would serve me a glistening strip of char siu instead of the usual grey sausage patty–I’d be there every Sunday. But I haven’t found either of those establishments yet, so I’m taking matters into my own hands.

Since I like to put truffle oil in my hollandaise before pouring it over griddled asparagus, it occurred to me that other flavored oils might work well, too. From the idea of a sesame oil hollandaise came the concept of a brunch dish that places Chinese building blocks in the distinctly Western configuration of Eggs Benedict.

Instead of an English muffin, I used a steamed, halved mantou (a leavened bun that is a staple of northern China), and let thinly sliced char siu, sweet and spiced, take the place of Canadian bacon. A poached egg is plopped on top, and the dish is finished with a nice big dollop of sesame-spiked hollandaise (though I stop short of drenching the pile, diner-style.)

The steamed bun is lightly sweet, and its fluffy texture reminiscent of a very thick buttermilk pancake: it mops up egg yolk like a dream. What’s more, char siu takes to hollandaise like a kindred spirit, language barrier be damned. I haven’t been this excited about a dish for a long time.

East-West Eggs Benedict, step by step:

1. Steam mantou, available in the frozen section of any Chinese grocery store, according to package instructions. They can be made ahead and kept warm in the steaming pot. Slice in half to serve.

2. Top with thinly sliced char siu, purchased from a Chinese charcutier or, if you are feeling motivated, home-made. (My hands-down favorite place to buy roast meats in Manhattan is Big Wong.)

3. Add the poached egg. (You can poach eggs in advance and keep them in a bowl of cold water. To serve, bring back to temperature by dunking briefly in a pot of hot water, and dab dry with a paper towel.)

4. Top with sesame oil hollandaise sauce. This is made using the classic recipe, with two modifications: leave out the lemon juice (use water instead) and flavor the finished product with sesame oil, to taste, adding a few drops at a time. Hollandaise is the least stable component of this dish and should be made at the very last minute.

After assembly, garnish with chopped scallions.

I’m not going to attempt any kind of Sichuan peppercorn Bloody Mary or kumquat mimosa to pair with this: I think I’ve fulfilled my fusion quota for one meal.

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