Steamed pork buns are a staple of Chinese cuisine. This comforting and delicious dish can pretty much be enjoyed at every Asian restaurant. But have you ever wondered if you can make these at home at any time you’re craving them? Once you’ve tried this steamed pork buns recipe, you’ll agree that nothing beats the flavour and texture of freshly steamed pork buns made from scratch. Sure, it might be tedious for some, but this recipe is perfect for when you want to level up your kitchen skills. Not to mention, it’s super fun to make!
Steamed Pork Buns Recipe That’s Super Easy
When searching for the best steamed pork buns recipe, nothing beats sticking to the basics! | Image: Shutterstock
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Preparation time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 to 40 minutes
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 1 pack of active dry yeast
- ½ cup of warm water
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- ½ cup of warm milk
For the filling:
- 2 cups of pork spareribs or char siu pork, chopped finely
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ tbsp Sesame oil
- ½ cup ginger, minced
- 4 stalks of scallions, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsps soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
Directions:
- Combine yeast and water in bowl. Add flour and 2 tablespoons of sugar, milk, baking powder, and oil. Knead together until smooth and soft.
- Cover bowl with a plastic wrap and set aside or refrigerate for one hour.
- Place ground pork in a bowl. Add minced garlic and scallions. Add salt, pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Combine well, adding water to loosen the resulting mixture, as needed.
- Cook filling mixture over medium to high heat, stirring while bringing it to a boil. Once done, set it aside to cool.
- Take the dough and mold it into a ball. Knead until smooth atop a floured surface. Roll dough into the shape of a log or long.
- Cut evenly to about 12 to 15 pieces. Flatten each ball of dough into uniformly-sized circles.
- Place spoonfuls of filling in the center of the circles.
- Draw up the edges of the bun, by gently pinching in a circular motion to seal the filling inside the dough. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Place buns in a steam basket and steam over boiling water for about 15 minutes.
- Let them cool and serve!
Tips:
- You can mix up the filling as desired. Chinese buns are nothing if not super versatile. You can use a variety of fillings, from pulled pork to chicken or ham and cheese. You can even make all-veggie baos, if that’s your thing!
- Why not add some ground cinnamon, ginger, garlic, and anise seeds (to recreate store-bought five-spice mixture) to deepen the flavour of your fillings?
- For the dough, some like adding vinegar into the mix for that extra layer of flavour as well!
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