Char Sui Bao! Steamed Pork Buns
Bao are delicious steamed bread buns that have a savory filling. Here I am using leftover BBQ Pork, but have made some suggestions on substitions. Check out Chef’s Table France for yam’tcha for ideas. Really, you could put anything in this bread and it would probably taste good! I do not have a stand mixer or a bamboo steamer, so this recipe can work even if you don’t have lots of kitchen equipment. The dough gets three chances to rise, and that keeps the end result super fluffy. If you make too many(never!) you can keep them in the freezer. I credit the orginal recipe on China Sichuan Food, and I have made adjustments based on my own tastes and preferences.
Ingredients:
Filling:
2 cups leftover char siu pork in cubes or roast chicken cubes or duxelles
100 ml/ 3/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce (or oyster sauce)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon chopped green onion
1 pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Dough/Wrapper:
300 g all purpose flour (I use tipo ‘0’) and a bit more for dusting
40 g sugar
1 Tablespoon sugar tolerant instant yeast (I use one packet of Paneangeli yeast)
160 ml of warm water
1 Tablespoon vegetable or sunflower oil
a pinch of salt
12 squares of parchement paper (6cm/6cm or 2 1/2” x 21/2” inches)
Instructions
Start with the filling! Mix the water, cornstarch, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes in bowl. It will look like a cloudy mix. In a small sauce pan, lightly heat the pork and spring onion until it is fragrant. Then slowly add the liquid and mix until it goes clear - this will be very fast. Once it reaches a sort of glue like texture, remove from heat and cool. Before putting it in the dough it needs to chill in the refridgerator for 30 minutes, or it will be hard to work with. (trust me).
Next up, the dough. In a bowl mix all of the ingredients and knead until smooth, about 5-8 minutes. Once it is smooth, cover and let it rise for 20 minutes. Next round, knead the dough into a log and cut into 10-12 even pieces and roll into balls. Flatten each one and take about 1 Tablespoon of the filling and wrap. Don’t worry if they aren’t photo finish perfect, mine never are :) After you wrap place the bao on a parchement square and allow to rise on a tray in a warm place for about 15-20 minutes. Now to cook them! I put them in the basket steamer of my rice cooker 4 at a time (because they will expand again!) and cook for 20 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer, you can also put a metal colander in a large pot, just make sure there is room between the water and the bao. Remove and repeat until the bao are complete. Share, or not, and enjoy.