Chinese Steamed Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao)

One of my all time favorite is the traditional Chinese Steamed Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao). I remember as a kid when I was strolling down the allies of Hong Kong, my friend always loved to buy Steam Pork Bun's. There are plenty of places not only in Hong Kong but throughout China selling Chinese Steamed Pork Bun's. Each and every province in China has it's own way to make the fabulous bun's. There are also Japanese steam pork buns and you can easily find them in Okinawa too. But all this is a different story and would need different type of ingredients. One thing is sure, the more steam buns you try, the more steam buns you will eat! hum hum hum! yummi as hell! For this reason, steamed pork buns, also called steamed roast pork buns have been on our to-do list for a long, long time. We’ve had lots of questions from readers on how to make steamed buns, and for good reason. This great variation is a super star on dim sum tables, enjoyed by people of all ages. If you never had experience in making steam buns before, well, this is the ultimate recipe this will give you a good start to enter the world of bun's.

Traditional Bamboo Steamer

After much research, I finally found a recipe in Chinese that worked after some testing and tweaking. Now I know that the key to a pull-apart, snowy white bun is actually cornstarch, and that baking powder helps crack open the tops.

Unlike other steamed buns, which usually start with cold water and are steamed over medium heat, these buns require you to pre-boil the water in the steamer, forcing the buns to rise quickly so the top cracks. Pretty cool stuff, I have to say! How satisfying it is to be able to finally crack open the secret to a mystery.

Amazing Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• ¾ cup warm water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• ⅓ cup finely chopped shallots or red onion
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1½ tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1½ cups diced Chinese roast pork (you can buy it ready-made, or see our recipe to make your own)

Bun's with steamer tray cloth

How to make Steam Pork Bun's

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment (you can also just use a regular mixing bowl and knead by hand), dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Sift together the flour and cornstarch, and add it to the yeast mixture along with the sugar and oil. Turn on the mixer to the lowest setting and let it go until a smooth dough ball is formed. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 2 hours. (I haven't forgotten about the baking powder. You'll add that later!)
2. While the dough is resting, make the meat filling. Heat the oil in a wok over medium high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for a minute. Turn heat down to medium-low, and add the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and dark soy. Stir and cook until the mixture starts to bubble up. Add the chicken stock and flour, cooking for a couple minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the roast pork. Set aside to cool. If you make the filling ahead of time, cover and refrigerate to prevent it from drying out.
3. After your dough has rested for 2 hours, add the baking powder to the dough and turn the mixer on to the lowest setting. At this point, if the dough looks dry or you're having trouble incorporating the baking powder, add 1-2 teaspoons water. Gently knead the dough until it becomes smooth again. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for another 15 minutes. In the meantime, get a large piece of parchment paper and cut it into ten 4x4 inch squares. Prepare your steamer by bringing the water to a boil.
4. Now we are ready to assemble the buns: roll the dough into a long tube and divide it into 10 equal pieces. Press each piece of dough into a disc about 4½ inches in diameter (it should be thicker in the center and thinner around the edges). Add some filling and pleat the buns until they're closed on top.
5. Place each bun on a parchment paper square, and steam. I steamed the buns in two separate batches using a bamboo steamer (be sure the boiling water does not touch the buns during steaming process). Once the water boils, place the buns in the steamer and steam each batch for 12 minutes over high heat.

There are so many ways on making chinese pork buns around the world. One of the bests are in California. The chinese comunity brought original recipes from China and some are modified to better versions of chinese pork buns.