Chinese BBQ Pork Buns + Halal, Vegetarian & Kosher Filling Options (Char Siu Bao)

Chinese BBQ pork buns, also known as char siu bao, let me show you my new bun recipe made even better especially for the home kitchen. Everything is from scratch, including the filling. I'll show you my shortcut stovetop BBQ pork that's just as flavorful as the real thing. For my friends who are halal, vegetarian, or kosher, we'll also be making two alternative fillings, one with chicken and the other with mushroom. If you've never been able to experience the joy of a Chinese BBQ bun, now is your chance. Oh, they're so good. This is my happy food dance apparently. Hey there, I'm Sheldo and welcome to my kitchen. I'm so glad that we get to hang out today and make something delicious. There's a lot to cover though so let's jump right into the recipe. First up, the outside of the bun. This is going to be a super fluffy milk bread and that all starts off with a tangzhong. Into a microwave safe bowl, add 40 grams bread flour and 255 milliliters milk. Whisk together until thoroughly combined. Microwave on high in 30 second increments. In between, vigorously whisk any lumps away. This can also be done on the stovetop, just cook over medium heat, whisking constantly. We're looking for a pudding-like consistency which forms mounds and drop onto itself. This pudding, also known as a tangzhong, traps moisture into our dough, creating an extra soft and fluffy texture. To the hot tangzhong, add 56 grams cold unsalted butter. Stir until all the butter is melted and incorporated. Then add in one large fridge cold egg, 50 grams sugar, 14 grams milk powder, and 6 grams salt. The milk powder is optional, it makes the bread a little bit softer and tastes more like something you'd buy at a bakery. Cold butter and eggs help cool down the tangzhong so that we don't kill our yeast later on. Scrape the mixture into a stand mixer bowl. Let it sit to cool down for 5 minutes, whisking every so often to dissipate heat. Once cooled, the tangzhong should feel like tepid bath water or measure at most 85 Fahrenheit. Add in 350 grams bread flour, followed by 8 grams instant yeast. Use the dough hook attachment. Start on low speed until all of the flour is moistened, then raise the speed to medium-high, which is a 6 on a KitchenAid. Set a timer now for 5 minutes. Don't walk away here, the mixer is on a high speed and it may wobble about. We don't want it walking right off the counter. That would be not great, so please keep an eye on it. The dough can also be kneaded by hand, but be prepared for a workout. It'll take at least 10 to 15 minutes of vigorous kneading. After 5 minutes, stop the mixer and scrape out the bowl as needed. Set the speed to medium-low, which is a 4 on a KitchenAid, and continue mixing for another 3 to 5 minutes. The dough is ready once it's smooth and elastic. It should be able to be stretched gently into a thin translucent film. This is a sign of proper gluten development. Plop the dough onto the counter, give it a few final kneads, and arrange into a smooth ball. Add some oil to a large clean bowl. Spread the oil around with the dough ball itself, then place it in the bowl smooth side up. Cover and set aside to proof until puffed up and doubled in size. This'll take about 45 to 90 minutes, depending on your ambient temperature. While the dough is resting, let's talk filling. Traditionally, chashou bao is made with chashou or barbecue pork bought from the Chinese place down the street. If you're so lucky and can get prepared chashou, feel free to use that in this recipe. You can then skip right ahead to this time step. Otherwise, here's my method for making a from-scratch barbecue on the stovetop. It takes just a fraction of the time, and in my experience, actually makes for an even juicier meat in the end. It all starts off with a universal Chinese barbecue marinade. This beauty is entirely vegetarian. It's deeply flavorful, savory, and sweet. It also turns into a shiny glaze when cooked. This marinade is super versatile and can be used for all manner of meats and vegetables. To a bowl, add 60 grams honey, 20 grams hoisin sauce, quarter teaspoon Chinese five spice, eighth teaspoon white pepper, two cloves garlic, either minced or grated, and a quarter teaspoon sesame oil. Now stir this all together. Next, one tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine, one tablespoon soy sauce, and a half teaspoon dark soy sauce. The dark soy sauce is optional, but it adds a really nice depth of color. If you're avoiding alcohol, swap the Shaoxing wine for an additional half tablespoon soy sauce. Set the marinade aside for now. Vegetarian friends, if you don't want to see meat being prepared, skip ahead to this timestamp for the mushroom filling. In terms of meat, pork shoulder, also called pork butt, is traditional. This cut is perfect. Not too fatty, not too lean. At a Chinese grocer, you may be able to find a char siu cut that's especially made for this purpose. Today though, I'm just using a pork butt roast from a regular grocery store, which I've done trimmed down. If you're avoiding pork, boneless, skinless chicken thighs make an excellent substitute. It's got that same kind of fatty, succulent thing going on. Will it be exactly like the pork? No, but will it be just as delicious? Heck yeah. No matter what you choose, we'll need one pound of meat. For pork, first cut into workable chunks, then into half inch thick slices. Firmly pound with the back of the knife. First go in one direction, then in another direction, creating a crosshatch pattern. This tenderizes the meat and creates more surface area for the marinade to absorb. With chicken, do the same thing, pounding thoroughly with the back of the Focus especially on the heftier parts of the thigh to even out the thickness, then cut into smaller workable pieces. From here on out, the chicken will be treated and cooked in the exact same way as the pork. Traditional Chinese barbecue pork is baked for a really long time. This slow process breaks down all of the connective tissue in the meat, creating a really succulent texture. On the stovetop, we won't have that same luxury, so we need some extra help to ensure tender meat. All of that pounding we did before tenderizes meat through mechanical action. Now let's take a different approach with some chemical tenderization. Dissolve a quarter teaspoon baking soda in one tablespoon of water, then also throw in a half teaspoon salt. Get in there with your hands and thoroughly massage everything together. Use gloves if you prefer. Do this for at least one minute until all the water is absorbed. This will help the baking soda and salt penetrate deeply. Baking soda raises the pH of the meat, creating an alkaline environment. This inhibits protein coagulation, so during cooking, instead of the meat seizing up and bonding together immediately, creating this tight, tough texture, the meat instead stays more relaxed, juicy, and tender. Salt breaks down the glue between the meat cells. This helps to further tenderize the meat. Pour in the prepared marinade. Take note of how much excess liquid there is right now. Massage everything together and gradually the marinade will absorb. Be patient here. This will take at least two to three minutes. In the end, see how little excess marinade remains. Just think about all the flavor and moisture that's now embedded into the meat. Add in a tablespoon of cornstarch. Thoroughly mix to coat everything. The starch will thicken the glaze and promote browning. Finish by mixing in a tablespoon of oil. This will help prevent the meat pieces from sticking together in the pan. Let the meat marinate for a bit, maybe about five to ten minutes. Just don't let it go over half an hour because it'll start to break down too much and potentially get mushy. Heat up a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add in just a touch of oil. Once the pan is nice and hot, add the meat all in one layer. If it doesn't all fit, cook in two batches. Don't touch the meat and let it cook undisturbed until the bottom is nicely charred. These charred bits help replicate that smoky barbecue flavor. Flip the pieces to the other side and do the same thing. Cook until charred and browned. Then add a quarter cup of water to the pan. Cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium. Let the steam gently cook the meat for about two to three minutes. Maybe three to four if it's chicken or the pieces are thicker. Remove the lid and switch to a different pair of tongs that hasn't touched raw meat. Keep cooking until all the water has evaporated and the meat is covered in a thick shiny glaze. If measured, the internal temp should be at least 165 Fahrenheit. Transfer out of the pan and set aside to cool down. Check out the texture here. The juices are literally oozing out. Give it a taste and you'll see how tender the meat is. The flavors are spot on Chinese barbecue. Once the meat is cooled, dice it all up. The size is up to you. I like a bit more texture so I leave my meat in slightly larger chunks. Alright, veggie time! Let's make that mushroom filling. We're gonna combine fresh and dried mushrooms to get a full flavor and a varied texture. Take five to six dried shiitake mushrooms. Thoroughly wash away any surface dust. Discard the dirty water. Then cover the mushrooms with boiling hot water. Place a small plate over to keep the mushrooms submerged. Let them soak for about 20 to 30 minutes. Here's a pound of fresh mushrooms. I like shiitake because it has a nice flavor and a meatier texture, but really any kind of more substantial mushroom will work. Say portobello, cremini, king oyster, etc. Just please no white button mushrooms. With shiitakes, the stems are too tough to eat. Pop off the stem by rotating around the base with a paring knife. For creminis, the stem can be left on. Cut up the mushrooms into about a one centimeter dice and set aside. Once the dried mushrooms are soft, squeeze out any excess liquid. Then cut off the woody stems and dice the caps up finely. Strain the soaking liquid and reserve. This is now mushroom broth full of flavor. We'll put it to good use later on. Okay, nonstick skillet over high heat. Add just a touch of oil. Once the pan is hot, add in the diced fresh mushrooms. Sprinkle over a half teaspoon salt. Stir together and fry for just a minute. Then add in a quarter cup of water. Cover with a lid and cook for one minute. This steams the mushrooms and collapses the foamy structure of Remove the lid. Cook until all the water is evaporated. Add in one tablespoon of oil. Throw in the diced dried mushrooms. Let this all cook together, only stirring occasionally to give the mushrooms a chance to brown. Once the mushrooms are browned, pour in our barbecue marinade. Lower the heat now to medium. Stir and cook until the sauce is reduced and nicely coating the mushrooms. Transfer out and set aside to cool. Whether pork, chicken, or mushroom, it'll all be base mixture kind of thing. It's super flavorful, full of aromatics, and has a thick gelatinous texture. It may not seem like the most appealing thing ever, but this is actually the secret which keeps the filling super luscious once it's in the bun. Combine 15 grams cornstarch, 15 grams potato starch, and 50 milliliters water. Stir together until lump-free. The potato starch creates a slightly silkier texture, but if you don't have it, just use all cornstarch. It'll be totally fine. Combine 20 grams honey, one tablespoon soy sauce, one teaspoon sesame oil, one tablespoon hoisin sauce, eighth teaspoon white pepper, quarter teaspoon Chinese five spice, half teaspoon chicken bouillon powder. Feel free to substitute with a quarter teaspoon MSG or a quarter teaspoon salt, and quarter teaspoon dark soy sauce. Then add 150 mils water or 150 mils of the reserved mushroom soaking broth. Dice up half a medium yellow onion. Finely mince about one inch of Use the same nonstick pan as before that's been wiped clean. One tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and ginger until the onion softens and begins to brown, about five minutes. Add in the prepared sauce mixture. Let it boil for one minute to wake up all the flavors. Drizzle in the starch mixture. Before using, give it a good stir because the starches will have settled to the bottom. Mix until a thick paste forms. Cook until the opaque starch turns translucent, then turn off the heat. Add one tablespoon of oil and stir it in until smooth and glossy. Spread out the mixture onto a tray to cool down quickly. After about 10 minutes, combine the filling base with your filling of choice. Then cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Once the dough is doubled in size, we can shape our buns. Flatten the dough ball to press out some air. Poke a hole in the center, then shape into a ring. Tear the ring apart to form a long log. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. If weighing, each piece will come out to Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Press out flat, then flip over. Gather together into the center and pinch together. Flip over again and gently roll with a cupped hand. Remember the order that the dough balls were shaped in. When not in use, keep the dough covered with a damp towel to prevent drying out. Now grab the chilled filling. It'll have further solidified in the cold, making it easier to work with. Don't stir it up now because it'll When first starting out, don't be too ambitious. Use just a level tablespoon of filling. It'll be so much easier to wrap. Once you're more acquainted with the technique, we can get a little more ambitious, using up to a hefty rounded tablespoon of filling. Start with the first dough ball, which has had some time now to relax slightly. First gently roll out the dough evenly to about palm size. Then focus on making the edges of the circle quite thin. No need to worry about keeping it a perfect circle. Leave a thicker amount of The final diameter should be around 5 inches. The thinner edges prevent too much dough bunching up once it's all pinched together. Flip the dough circle over so that the smooth side is down. Hold it in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Dollop some filling neatly into the center of the dough. Really, you can use whatever technique you'd like to seal the filling in the dough. However, I like to do the helical folding technique of making a Chinese bao. Crimp the dough with index and middle finger, then hold together between index finger and thumb. Go all the way around the outside, pulling and crimping, gradually closing up the hole. Then once you've reached the end, pinch everything together to seal the dough. I'm using the thumb of my left hand to keep the filling centered and prevent it from spilling out. Anywhere the filling touches the dough, it'll inhibit the dough from sealing together properly. On this bun, I tried to use way too much filling. As you can see, the dough doesn't want to close up because the filling is spilled out. If this happens, just do your best to pinch it all together. The seam will be the bottom of the bun, so it'll be alright. Some filling may leak out during baking, but that can happen even if the buns are closed properly, so don't worry too much. Invert the bun so that the pinched seam is on the bottom. Lightly roll with a cupped hand to round out the shape. Be really gentle here. Place the shaped buns onto parchment lined trays. Leave ample space between each bun. I like to bake only six to a tray. Cover the trays with a damp towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to proof until puffed up and almost doubled in size. This'll take Prepare an egg wash by beating together one egg with a splash of cream or milk. With about 15 minutes left in the rising time, preheat the oven to 350F with the racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven. Brush the buns with a thin coating of egg wash. Make sure to get all the way to the bottom so that everything browns evenly. Let the buns sit uncovered for the remaining 15 minutes to dry out the egg wash slightly. Right before baking, go in with another thin coating of egg wash. Finish with an optional sprinkle of sesame seeds for decoration. Bake the buns for around 18 to 20 minutes total. I'm doing just one tray at a time because it's easier to film, but with two trays, swap them top to bottom halfway through the baking time. The buns are done once golden brown all over. Check the bottoms. There should be nowhere on the bun that's too pale. Take the trays out and allow the buns to cool at least for 5 to 10 minutes before digging in. I know it's super tempting, but trust me, the filling is so hot right now and I really don't want you to burn yourself. And there you go, baked chashou bao, just like from the Chinese bakery. The bread outside is so soft with a sweet, buttery, milky flavor. It really does taste exactly like the bread from an actual bakery. And then we get to the inside, that luscious, glossy filling. My favorite parts are the little pops of ginger which you can't find in a store-bought bun. The filling is what truly sets our buns apart. The pork is tender yet still toothsome, that classic chashou bao experience. The chicken is so juicy, it's even more succulent than the pork. The mushroom buns. Now this was the sleeper hit for me. There's so much mushroom flavor from the dried mushrooms and the mushroom broth. If you like mushrooms, even if you're not vegetarian or kosher, I'd highly recommend that you try this one out. So yeah, there you have it, my famous Chinese BBQ pork buns as seen on TV. As always, the full written recipe will be in the description below. I seriously hope that you give these delicious buns a try. If you do, please comment and let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear from you. Thank you so much for joining me here on Sheldoh's Kitchen. I'll see you again very soon. Before you go, here are two more delicious recipes that I know you're just gonna love.