This is a blog post on the char siu bao(sticky roasted pork belly bun) recipe. I have posted on making char siu which is quite straight forward to make. Bao basically in mean buns in Chinese is a basic steam bread bun. It has been making waves as a new trend of Asian food. Bao comes in different types and versions. I am making bao which goes with Chr siu. This basic dough can go with other types of savoury and sweet food. It is basically roasted sticky pork belly meat in a sandwich.
Char siu bao
To make bao successfully you will need some yeast and bread flour. I am using ordinary supermarket-bought bread flour. This is because it is widely available. in comparison to the bao, you find in restaurants you will find this homemade bao is not white in colour at all. That is because the restaurants or the bao you find ready-made in Asian supermarkets are made from bleached flour. Sometimes called Hong Kong flour. It is possible to buy Hong Kong flour but I don’t see the fuss. Not unless it makes any difference to the softness not really.
The success is all down to the time and technique to prove his bao. The bao dough has to rise nicely just like bread. It is possible to buy other types of bao flour from Asian grocers the gluten content might be different from ordinary bread flour. It might affect the end result as the content of gluten is different. The flour that is bought from the supermarket also will affect the end result. As unbleached flour is normally used so it looks white that than pale yellow (beige).
Char siu bao is great to serve as a snack in small portions or as a lunch or light meal on the go food. It is commonly seen in dim sum time at Chinese dumpling restaurants.
Thank you for reading and dropping by. Do have a look at my other blog post like how to make bread from scratch at home and salted egg custard bun.
Char siu (Chinese sticky BBQ pork) bao
- Oven
- roasting pan
Char siu ingredients
- 500 grams pork belly slices
- 3 cm ginger
- 3 cubes fermented soybean
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp honey or granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 3 cloves garlic
Bao ingredients
- 500 grams bread flour or high gluten flour (have extra flour available)
- 1 packet fast action dried yeast (1 tsp or 7 grams)
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 250 mls tepid water (more or less)
Make the bao dough
As the bao dough needs time to rise make it first. Add the ingredients together and knead for at least 15 minutes. Leave it somewhere warm to prove till the dough rises. This will take about an hour.
Make the char siu
It is possible to make this a day ahead. Add the ingredients together then bake it in the oven. If time permits then leave the meat to marinate first for 10 minutes. Then cook in the oven for about 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees Celcius. Leave to cool then slice into thin slices..
Put the bao together
Once the dough has risen. Then divide the dough into 6-8 portions. Then add the filling (char siu). Place it over some grease-proof paper and steam it for about 20 minutes till the bao is cook. Serve warm.
