Best Chinese Steamed Buns With Meat Filling Recipes

STEAMED BAO BUNS (包子), A COMPLETE GUIDE

Steps:

• Mix flour, yeast, sugar and oil in a bowl. Pour in water little by little while mixing.
• Combine and knead with your hands until a very smooth dough forms (see note 4).
• Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (It will take between 40 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on the room temperature).
• Put pork, soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt and Sichuan pepper/Chinese five-spice in a mixing bowl.
• Swirl constantly while gradually adding water/stock until no more liquid can be seen.
• Brief stir fry grated carrot and onion in oil until softened. Add to the pork along with chopped coriander.
• Knead the dough until it goes back to its original size.
• Divide it into 12 equal portions. Roll each piece into a disk-like wrapper.
• Place some filling in the middle of a wrapper then fold into a bao shape.
• Leave all the assembled buns to rest for another 15 minutes or so.
• Place the buns (with parchment paper underneath each one) in the steamer basket (see note 5). Leave 2cm space between the buns and the side of the steamer.
• Start cooking with cold water over a high heat. Turn the heat down to medium-low when the water starts boiling.
• Cook for 15-18 minutes.
• Serve them warm, on their own or with some dipping sauce (find inspirations in my post Six dumpling sauces).
• You can freeze cooked buns. Leave to defrost in the fridge then steam for 8 minutes to warm up, or steam for 15 minutes without defrosting.

CHINESE STEAMED BUNS

Steps:

• Mix together yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 cup warm water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes.
• Mix in 1/2 cup warm water, flour, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vegetable oil. Knead until dough surface is smooth and elastic. Roll over in a greased bowl, and let stand until triple in size, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Punch down dough, and spread out on a floured board. Sprinkle baking powder evenly on surface, and knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 2 parts, and place the piece you are not working with in a covered bowl. Divide each half into 12 parts. Shape each part into a ball with smooth surface up. Put each ball on a wax paper square. Let stand covered until double, about 30 minutes.
• Bring water to a boil in wok, and reduce heat to medium; the water should still be boiling. Place steam-plate on a small wire rack in the middle of the wok. Transfer as many buns on wax paper as will comfortably fit onto steam-plate leaving 1 to 2 inches between the buns. At least 2 inches space should be left between steam-plate and the wok. Cover wok with lid. Steam buns over boiling water for 15 minutes.
• REMOVE LID BEFORE you turn off heat, or else water will drip back onto bun surface and produce yellowish "blisters" on bun surfaces. Continue steaming batches of buns until all are cooked.

CHINESE STEAMED BUNS WITH BARBECUED PORK FILLING

Steps:

• Place the warm water in a large bowl, and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, and mix thoroughly. Cover with a cloth, and let stand until bubbles appear, about 20 minutes.
• Dissolve sugar and shortening in boiling water, and allow to cool to lukewarm. Stir into the yeast mixture along with the remaining flour. When the dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Coat a large bowl with sesame oil, and place the dough inside. Turn over to coat, and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add green onions and garlic, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add pork, and fry for a minute, then stir in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water, then stir the mixture into the pork. Cook, stirring constantly until the pork is coated with a thickened glaze. Remove to a bowl, and allow to cool.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, and roll it out into one long log. Slice the log into 1 inch pieces. Flatten each piece into a 3 inch circle using the palm of your hand or a rolling pin. Place 2 tablespoons of the pork filling onto the center of each circle, and gather up the edges around the filling and pinch together to close the bun. Place each bun seam side down onto a square of aluminum foil. Cover with a towel, and let rise for about 1 hour.
• Bring a couple inches of water to boil in a wok. Place a few buns at a time in a steamer, such as a bamboo steamer for a wok, or a fitted steam tray. Cover, and steam buns over briskly boiling water for 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining buns.