【BBQ Pork Buns】-Cha Siu Bao 叉烧包

【BBQ Pork Buns】-Cha Siu Bao

by MaomaoMom

Cha siu bao is a well-known Chinese BBQ pork-filled bun. It is a must order dim sum item every time we visit a Cantonese restaurant. The super soft streamed buns and the sweet BBQ pork filling make your mouth water, well worth the effort.

Meal type: appetizer
Prepare time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Stand time: 8-12 hours
Level: Medium
Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients:
Starter dough:
1) 1/2 cup cake & pastry flour (70 g), ¼ cup lukewarm water (58g), 1/2 tsp fast rising yeast;
Dough:
2) 1 cup cake & pastry flour (150g), ¼ cup corn starch (38g), 1.5 tsp double acting baking powder, 2/3 tsp ammonium carbonate;
3) ¼ cup + 2 tsp lukewarm water (68g), 5 tbsp sugar (73g), 2 tbsp lard (28g);
Filling:
4) BBQ pork 150g diced;
5) 2 tsp vegetable oil, 1 green onion chopped to 1-inch pieces, 1-2 sliced ginger;
6) ¼ cup water, 1.5 tsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp Lee Kum Kee Char Siu Sauce, 2 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/6 tsp chicken broth mix;
7) 1 tsp corn starch, 1 tbsp water, mix well;
8) 2-3 drops red food colouring (optional).

Directions:

1: Dough starter: Combine all ingredients of Ingredient 1) in a medium-size bowl to form a soft dough (Picture 1), cover with plastic wrap and let it stand at room temperature for about 8-10 hours.
2: BBQ pork filling: Heat 2 tsp oil in a non-stick fry pan over high heat. Sauté chopped green onion and sliced ginger for 30 seconds (Picture 2) then add all ingredients of Ingredient 6) and bring to boil. Stir in the starch and water mixture of Ingredient 7), then add the diced BBQ pork and the food colouring (Picture 3). Mix well then remove from heat and let it cool.

3: Dough: When the dough starter is ready after 8-10 hours, you can see it has many holes (Picture 4). Add water and sugar of Ingredient 3) (Picture 5), mix with your fingers until sugar dissolves. Sift together all ingredients of Ingredient 2) in a medium mixing bowl. Pour in dough starter and water mixture and add 2 tbsp lard (Picture 6). Knead for about 5 minutes to form a smooth dough (Picture 7). Cover with plastic wrap and let it stand for 10 minutes.
4: BBQ pork buns: Knead the dough a few times then divided into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Flatten with the palm of your hand then roll out into an 8-cm circle. Place about 1/8 BBQ pork filling on top (Picture 9), wrap and pleat to seal (Picture 10). Repeat for the remaining dough and filling.

5: Cut parchment paper into 2.5-in squares and place the buns on top. Place them on the steamer rack (Picture 11) and let them stand for 5 minutes. Fill the steamer with 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Place the steamer rack on top and cover with lid. Steam the BBQ pork buns on high heat for 10-12 minutes (Picture 12). Remove the steamer from heat and let stand for 2 more minutes before opening the lid.

Tips:
1) It is best to use the Hong Kong flour or Pau flour to replace the cake & pastry flour and corn starch used in Ingredient 2).
2) If you cannot find ammonium carbonate or don’t like the smell, you can leave it out, the buns are still very soft but will not crack.

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