Char Siu Pork Bun Filling Recipes

CHINESE PORK BUNS (CHA SIU BAO)

Steps:

• Dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in 1 3/4 cups warm water, and then add the yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until mixture is frothy. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons shortening and the yeast mixture; mix well.
• Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, and cover it with a sheet of cling wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it has tripled in bulk.
• Cut the pork into 2 inch thick strips. Use fork to prick it all over. Marinate for 5 hours in a mixture made with 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, and 1 teaspoon sweet soy sauce. Grill the pork until cooked and charred. Cut roasted port into 1/2 inch cubes.
• Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Mix cornstarch with 2 1/2 tablespoons water; add to the saucepan, and stir until thickened. Mix in 2 tablespoons lard or shortening, sesame oil, and white pepper. Cool, and mix in the roasted pork.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, and knead it on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth and elastic. Roll the dough into a long roll, and divide it into 24 pieces. Flatten each piece with the palm of the hand to form a thin circle. The center of the circle should be thicker than the edge. Place one portion of the pork filling in the center of each dough circle. Wrap the dough to enclose the filling. Pinch edges to form the bun. Let the buns stand for 10 minutes.
• Steam buns for 12 minutes. Serve.

STEAMED BBQ PORK BUNS (CHAR SIU BAO)

Steps:

• 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!)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 4 1/2 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.
• 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.

BAKED BBQ PORK BUNS (CHAR SIU BAO)

Steps:

• Pour the milk into a small bowl and warm it to approximately 100 to 110°F (38°C), about 30 seconds in the microwave. The milk should be warm, just a bit above body temperature.
• Add the yeast and a pinch of the sugar to the warm milk. Let the yeast activate for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling and frothy.
• Add the remaining dough ingredients into your stand mixer bowl. Pour the activated yeast and milk over everything. Stir a few times with a spatula to make a rough dough. Knead with the hook attachment on setting 6 for 15 to 17 minutes, until the dough is smooth and stretchable. Test the dough by pulling a piece of it using both hands. It should stretch into a very thin and translucent sheet. (This dough can be kneaded by hand, but it is a wet dough, so having a dough scraper for the process will be very helpful. Knead it for 20 to 30 minutes in this case.)
• While kneading the dough, grease the inside of a large bowl with a thin layer of butter or oil.
• Pull the dough into a tight ball using your hands and place it into the greased bowl. Flip the dough ball a couple of times so that it is fully coated in the butter. Cover with plastic wrap. Let it proof until the size has doubled, about 1 hour in the winter, or 30 to 45 minutes in summer. (*Footnote 1)
• While the dough is resting, combine all the filling ingredients in a small pot except for the diced char siu. Mix until the cornstarch is dissolved fully.
• Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until thickened, so you can draw a line on the bottom of the pot with a spatula, about 1 minute. Take the pot off the heat and let the mixture cool off. Once cooled, add the diced char siu and mix until it is evenly distributed.
• Once the dough has doubled, punch it down using your hand and form it into a tight ball. Cut the ball into 12 even pieces (approximately 62 g per piece). Cover the pieces you aren't working on with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
• One piece at a time, pull and pinch the edges of the dough to the top until the dough is round. Flip the piece so that the pinched part of the dough is on the work surface. Place your palm and fingers over the ball forming a domed cage, move the dough in small circular motions while applying light pressure to seal it.
• Once all the pieces are formed, you can begin filling them. One at a time, use your palm to flatten the ball, then gently spread the edges until the dough has a 4 to 5" (10 to 13 cm) diameter. You should keep the center a bit thicker than the edges so the buns will be shaped evenly once wrapped.
• Place a tablespoon of filling in the center. Gather the edges over the filling and pinch them together to seal it on top. Flip over the bun and roll it in the same circular motion as before to seal, but be gentle so the filling doesn't tear through the dough. (If a piece of pork starts to poke out or looks like it's about to you can pinch the dough over the trouble area and smooth it out with your finger.)
• Place the buns on a parchment-lined baking tray, at least 1" (2.5 cm) apart, and cover them with plastic wrap. Let the buns rise until they grow 1.5 to 2x in size, about 30 to 45 minutes in winter, or 15 to 20 minutes in summer.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). (*Footnote 2)
• Gently brush a thin layer of milk onto the top of each bun. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds to garnish, if using.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown.
• Let the buns rest until slightly cooled. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Once the buns have fully cooled, you can place them in a large ziplock bag. It's OK to leave the buns at room temperature for a day. Store them in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• To reheat the refrigerated buns, heat them in a microwave or a 350°F (176°C) oven until warmed throughout. For frozen buns, reheat them in a 350°F (176°C) oven without thawing until warmed throughout, 10 minutes or so.

CHAR SIU BAO (PORK BUNS)

Steps:

• To make meat:.
• Combine marinade. Marinate pork at least 3 hours, or overnight.
• Cooking methods:.
• a) place meat on a roasting pan with a rack -- with the pan below filled with water and roast at 350 F until done (turn over half way through) OR.
• b) cook in a crock pot with 3 cups of water for 1 hour on high and then 7 hours on low or until it flakes apart (this is the method I have used) OR.
• c) you could try grilling or broiling the meat, but it might lack some of the moisture that the other two methods will give you.
• To make filling:.
• Sauté ginger in hot peanut oil, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mix with hoisin, chili paste, green onions and meat. Let cool.
• To make dough:.
• Mix yeast, sugar and warm water; let proof (sit and rise) for about 10 minutes.
• Place flours and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, if available. (This can also be done by hand).
• Add yeast mixture. Knead until homogeneous and dough forms a ball.
• Let rise in a cool place to minimize air bubbles, about 15 minutes.
• Portion dough into 16 balls, flatten them, and place a small amount of filling into the center of each.
• Pinch back to close and form a ball shape.
• Place balls on lightly oiled piece of parchment or waxed paper (oiled plastic wrap would probably work too). Let proof 15 minutes, or until double in size.
• Place in a covered steamer, and cook for 8-10 minutes.
• Eat now or cool completely and freeze in ziplock bags (to reheat: steam 10 minutes).
• Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

CHAR SIU BAO RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan or wok, sauté the onion for 1 to 2 minutes until soft and transparent. Add the diced chicken breast meat and sauté until the chicken is cooked.
• Add the remaining ingredients. Stir and cook until the gravy thickens.
• Transfer to a plate and let it cool.
• Dissolve the dry yeast in water.
• Add 200g of pao flour and icing sugar. Mix well and cover for an hour.
• Add the ingredients under the title 'Other ingredients of the dough' into the starter mixture and knead for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Cover the dough with a piece of damp cloth and let it proves for 30 minutes, or until the size has doubled.
• Divide the dough into 50g portions. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
• Flatten the dough with a rolling pin to form a circle of 8-10 cm in diameter. Place 30g of filling in the middle, wrap and pleat the dough to seal. Place it on a 1.5 inches (4cm) square baking paper, sealed side up. Rest for 15 minutes before steaming.
• Place the Char Siu Pao in a steamer, leave about 2-3 cm gap in between each Char Siu Pao. Steam in a preheated steamer on high heat for 8 minutes.
• Remove the Char Siu Pao immediately from the steamer and cool them on a rack to prevent the bottom of the Char Siu Pao from becoming soggy.

CHAR SIU (叉燒) - CHINESE BBQ PORK

Steps:

• We'll cut our pork shoulder into long slices, roughly about 1 inch thick.
• To a bowl, we'll add:
• Place the meat into a ziploc bag, pour the sauce in, and massage the pork for about 2 minutes so that the sauce is able to finesse its way into the meat. Afterwards, we'll push all the air out of the bag and seal it.
• Preheat the oven to 425° F or 218° C.
• Now, we'll be placing the pork into the oven and taking it out periodically to lather it again with either our leftover pork marinade, or honey diluted with water.
• Once the char siu has finished its last cycle in the oven, we'll lather each side with our diluted honey.

CHAR SIU BAO (STEAMED PORK BUNS)

Steps:

• Heat oil in pan, sauté onion for 1 to 2 minutes. Add in char siu, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and red food color, if using. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes and add salt to taste.
• Mix corn starch and water together, add to the filling. Simmer on low heat until the sauce is thickened.
• Remove the filling from pan. Let cool.
• Divide the filling into 16 portions. Set aside.
• Sift the flour, wheat starch and powdered sugar. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the yeast, lukewarm water and vinegar or lemon juice, if using. Gently dissolve the yeast with the water. Slowly bring together the flour mixture and add in the vegetable oil.
• Knead with hands for 15 minutes or until a soft dough is formed. It should be smooth and shiny on the surface.
• Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rise for 60 - 90 minutes or until it expands in size.
• Dissolve the baking powder with the cold water, sprinkle over the dough and knead until well combined. For fluffier buns, rest the dough for 10 minutes after baking powder is added.
• Cut and divide the dough to 16 equal portions.
• Using a rolling pin, roll and flatten each dough ball to a 3" circle. Place a portion of the filling in the middle.
• Wrap and fold the dough up.
• Pinch and twist to enclose the opening. Make sure the char siu bao is sealed tight at the top. Place it on a 2" x 3" piece of parchment paper. Repeat the same until you make 16 buns.
• Arrange the buns on a steamer, leave about 1" gap in between buns. Spray water mist over buns, and steam in a preheated steamer on high heat for 10 minutes. (You may add 1 teaspoon of Chinese white vinegar to make the char siu bao white.)
• Remove buns from the steamer, serve warm.

MANAPUA - CHAR SIU BAO

Steps:

• Add hoisin, oyster sauce, and green onions to the chopped char siu.
• Dissolve sugar in 1-2 tablespoon of hot water. Mix into char siu filling mixture.
• You can also add more hoisin or oyster sauce to taste.\
• Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and mix in 1 cup of flour. Cover with cloth. Let rise 1 hour, until bubbles appear.
• Dissolve sugar and vegetable oil in 1/2 cup boiling water. Cool until lukewarm. Pour into the yeast mixture and add the remaining 3 1/2 cups flour.
• Knead dough on lightly floured board until smooth (10 minutes). Put 2 tsp. of sesame seed oil into an extra large bowl and place dough inside. Roll dough around in bowl to lightly cover it with the sesame seed oil. Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm place. Let rise until double in bulk, about 2 hours.
• Divide into 2 portions. Remove first portion and knead 2 minutes. Repeat with second. Roll each into roll 14 - 16 inches long and cut into 8-9 pieces.
• Shape each cut piece into round balls. Flatten each piece into 4 inch circles, leaving more dough in the center and using your fingers to push the dough out at the edges.
• Take a heaping tablespoon of the char siu mixture and place into the middle of each dough circle. Bring up the edges of the circle to encase the filling and pinch close.
• Place each bun onto a square piece of 2″ x 2″ parchment paper. Dip your fingers into the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil and lightly rub the top and sides of the buns. Place these onto a sheet and cover with a damp towel. Place in a warm area and let the buns rise for about 30 - 45 minutes.
• Place buns into a steamer and steam for 10-12 minutes.
• Remove buns and place on a rack to cool. Serve warm.
• If storing, let buns completely cool and place in the refrigerator in an air tight container. Keep up to 3 days.
• To reheat, cover with a damp paper towel and place into the microwave for up to 1 minute or until warmed through.
• If freezing, place buns into a plastic bag to store. Re-steam for 10 minutes.

CHAR SIU PORK BUN FILLING

Steps:

• To make the flavoring sauce, combine the sugar, salt, white pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and water in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds, or until aromatic and slightly softened. Add the pork and combine well. Add the flavoring sauce and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, or until the pork is heated through. Meanwhile, add the rice wine to the dissolved cornstarch. When the pork is hot enough, add the wine and cornstarch mixture. Cook for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes together into a mass that you can mound. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool completely before using. (The filling can be prepared up to 2 days in advance, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before using.)