The Best Chinese Steamed Buns Pork Baozi Recipe

Hi everyone, I'm Mandy. Welcome to Sip Up Recipes. Today, we are making the best pork skin buns that I have ever made. They are so soft, delicate, and full of flavors. You can tell these buns are so juicy that the sauce is seeped through the wrapper at the bottom. Turn it upside down, the juice literally drips. The secret behind this incredibly tender and moist filling is a traditional Chinese technique called Shen Shu Xian, which translates as raw and cooked filling. I know, the name sounds a little strange. Most skin buns use either a raw filling or a cooked filling. But this technique combines both in one, creating a filling with luscious sauce, incredible aroma, and layers of flavors. I'm so excited to show you. But first, we are going to start with the dough because it needs time to rise. In a mixing bowl, add 1.5 tsp of instant yeast, 2 tbsp of sugar, and 220g of lukewarm water. Give it a quick stir until the yeast is evenly distributed. Add the all-purpose flour in batches and use a rubber spatula to mix until all the water is absorbed. Keep in mind that different brands of flour absorb moisture differently, so you may need to adjust the ratio between the water and the flour slightly. Add 2 tbsp of room temperature butter little by little. Mix it in. A little fat can coat the gluten chains, giving the buns a light cotton-like texture. It also slows down the starch retrogradation, which means the buns will stay soft even after they are cold. I'm using a stand mixer. Let it run at medium-low speed for about 8 minutes or until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough becomes smooth. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can absolutely knead the dough by hand. It'll take about the same amount of time. When it's ready, the dough should be smooth, soft, and elastic. Shape it into a ball, cover it, and let it proof for about 1-1.5 hours or until it has doubled in size. During this time, we're going to make the special raw and cooked filling, sheng shu xian. Most of you are already familiar with the raw filling, the meat is seasoned while it's still raw before wrapped and steamed. It's standard and widely used, such as my classic pork steamed buns and chicken steamed buns. On the other hand, char siu bao is a great example of cooked filling. The meat is fully cooked first, then mixed with a rich savory gravy before it's wrapped. That's what gives the char siu bun its signature taste. Sheng shu xian combines both in one, and taking it to another level that's better than either method alone. In a saucepan, add 3 tbsp of cooking oil, along with 2.5 tbsp of minced garlic, and 1 tbsp of minced ginger. Here are 5 scallions that I diced. We're gonna add the scallion whites for now, save the green part for later. Stir over low heat for a few minutes, or until the aromatics are slightly golden brown. Here is 400 grams of ground pork, preferably 30% fat content, divided into 3 even parts. And we're gonna add a third of it to the saucepan and stir until cooked through. Season it with 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce, 1.5 tbsp of oyster sauce, 2 tsp of soybean paste, 1 tsp of dark soy sauce, and 1.5 tsp of 13 spice powder. This is what I'm using, I'll link it in the pinned comment. If you don't have it, replace it with 5 spice powder. Pour in 1 cup of water, put on the lid, let it simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. This is how it looks when it's done simmering. It should still have quite a lot of liquid, because the sauce is the key to a juicy filling. Let it cool completely. Now combine it with the remaining raw pork and the green parts of the scallions. Mix everything in one direction until well combined. Transfer the filling to the refrigerator, and while it chills, let's check on the dough. It has doubled in size, poke a hole in the center. If the hole stays without shrinking back or collapsing, the dough is perfectly proofed. Now make a fist and punch it down to release the air bubbles. Why do we do this? The air bubbles created during the first proofing are usually uneven in size. By kneading the dough again, we redistribute the yeast, flour, and moisture, allowing the yeast to create smaller, more uniform bubbles. This gives the bun a finer texture and a fluffier bite. Continue kneading the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic again, then poke a hole through the center and stretch it into a bigger ring. Cut the ring open, and you'll have a long even log. Keep rolling the log longer, then divide it into 12 even pieces. I'm not using a scale here, but you can if you want to be precise. Dust them lightly with flour to prevent sticking, then cover them so they don't dry out. Take one piece of the dough, flatten it with your hand, pick it up, and use a rolling pin to roll the edges back and forth while rotating the dough with your other hand. Repeat this process until you have a round wrapper with a thicker center and a thinner edge. Take the filling out of the fridge and divide it into 12 equal portions as well. Place one portion in the center of the wrapper and shape it into a small mound. Pinch the edge, stretch lightly, and fold to create the first pleat. Use your other hand to help to repeat the stretching and folding to create more pleats, continuing all the way around. When you reach the end, you may naturally have a small opening in the center, you can pinch it to close, or leave it open like I did. Either way works. Gently rotate and shape the bun upward so it stays nice and tall instead of spreading flat. This pleating technique may look complicated, but honestly, it doesn't affect the taste at all. Feel free to shape your buns however you like. Here is a trick for beginners. Place the wrapper on a small little bowl and put the filling in. This way, it will be easier to gather the edge together and make better pleats. Alright, continue to wrap the rest of the buns. Fill the steamer with water, place in the rack, and put the buns in the steamer. Use parchment papers to prevent sticking. Put on the lid and let them proof for the second time, about 30 minutes or until they are one and a half times bigger. Place the steamer on a stove, turn the heat to high, and bring the water to a boil. Once you can see the steam coming out, switch the heat to medium and start counting the time for 20 minutes. Alright, the buns are done steaming. Turn off the heat and let them sit in the steamer for 5 minutes before opening the lid. This helps prevent them from collapsing. I absolutely love freshly steamed pork buns. They are piping hot, soft, fluffy, and incredibly light. It's so juicy that the sauce actually seeps through the bottom. You can see it. Check this out. If you turn the bun upside down, the juice literally drips out. That's the magic of the traditional raw and cooked filling technique. Let's open one. The aroma is amazing, and the filling is incredibly flavorful. These are going to be the best pork steamed buns you will ever make, no doubt. They are so delicious that I cannot stop eating. My family loves them too. Every time a fresh batch comes out of the steamer, they are gone within minutes. I hope you give this a try soon. As always, the printable recipe link is in the pinned comment. Go check it out. Don't forget to like and subscribe to my channel for more easy and authentic Chinese food. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you next time. Bye!