Steamed Pork Buns

Yields 16 buns
by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo from Fine Cooking
Issue 109

Authentic Chinese steamed pork buns are a dim sum classic. Watch the video for Eileen's step-by-step
demonstration of how to make the dough, the filling, and how to shape the buns.

For the filling

1/2 cup lower-salt chicken broth
2 Tbs. oyster sauce
2 Tbs. ketchup
5 tsp. granulated sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbs. dark soy sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 recipe Chinese Barbecued Roast Pork
2 Tbs. peanut oil
1 small yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/2 cup)
1 Tbs. Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine)
1-1/2 tsp. Asian sesame oil

For the dough

10-1/8 oz. (2-1/4 cups) bleached all-purpose flour, preferably Gold Medal; more as needed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3-1/2 tsp. baking powder
6 Tbs. whole milk, at room temperature
2 Tbs. melted lard or peanut oil

Make the filling

In a medium bowl, stir or whisk the broth, oyster sauce, ketchup, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, 1/2 tsp.
salt, and a pinch of pepper. Finely dice enough of the barbecued roast pork to yield 1-1/2 cups (about 6
oz.). Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the peanut oil and swirl to coat. When a wisp of white
smoke appears, in about 30 seconds, add the onion. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring
often, until golden-brown, about 6 minutes.

Add the pork, increase the heat to high, and stir-fry to combine, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle the wine from the
edge of the wok into the pork mixture and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium.
Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the sauce. Stir until the mixture thickens, about 3
minutes. Add the sesame oil and mix well. Refrigerate until cool.

Make the dough

Mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder on a clean work surface and make a well in the center. While
slowly pouring the milk into the well, use your fingers in a circular motion to pull the flour mixture into the
milk until its absorbed. Make another well, add 3 Tbs. room-temperature water, and continue to use your
fingers to work the dough. Add the lard or peanut oil and, using your fingers and a dough scraper or
bench knife, work the dough until thoroughly combined.
Gather the dough with the dough scraper in one hand and begin kneading with the other. Knead the
dough for 10 to 12 minutesit should feel smooth, pliable, elastic, and slightly tacky to the touch. If the
dough is too sticky to work with, sprinkle a little flour on the work surface and your hands as you knead it. If
the dough feels dry, lightly wet your hands with water and continue kneading. When the dough is smooth
and elastic, shape it into a ball, cover with a slightly damp cloth, and let rest at room temperature for about
1 hour. (The dough must be used within 2 hours of the time it was made. It cannot be frozen.)

Portion the dough

Have ready sixteen 2-1/2-inch squares of parchment or waxed paper.
Lightly flour a work surface. Roll the prepared dough into a 16-inch-long log. Cut the log into 16 equal
pieces and then roll each piece into a ball. Cover the dough with the damp cloth.

Make the buns

Working with one piece at a time, shape a dough ball into a cup thats about 1-1/2 inches deep and about
3 inches in diameter. The sides of the dough cup should be thinner than the bottom. Hold the dough cup in
one hand and spoon about 1 Tbs. of the pork filling into the center. Gather the edges of the dough and
pull them up and over the filling, using your thumb to push the filling down as you pleat with your fingers to
cover the filling. It may seem like a tight fit at first, but the dough will stretch as you pull it around the filling.
Twist the top to seal the bun and pinch off any excess dough. Put the bun, knot side up, on a parchment
square and set aside. As you gain confidence, you may use 1-1/2 Tbs. of filling in subsequent buns.
Repeat until 16 buns have been made, cleaning off your thumb on a damp cloth after making each bun.
Divide the buns (still on their parchment squares) equally between 2 bamboo steamers, spacing the buns
at least 2 inches apart. Stack the steamers on top of each other and cover.
In a wok, bring 6 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Set the stacked steamers over the boiling water
and steam the buns until they look fluffy and their tops have opened like flowers to slightly reveal the filling,
15 to 20 minutes. Remove the steamers from the wok, put them on platters and serve the buns
immediately, straight from the steamers.

Make Ahead Tips

The filling may be made up to 1 day ahead; keep refrigerated and do not freeze. Cooked buns will keep in
an airtight container for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 4 to 6 weeks in the freezer. To reheat: If frozen,
let the buns thaw and come to room temperature; if refrigerated, let them come to room temperature. Then
steam the buns in bamboo steamers until very hot, 5 to 7 minutes.
nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 270; Fat (g): fat g 7; Fat Calories (kcal): 60; Saturated Fat (g): sat fat g 2; Protein (g):
protein g 15; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 3; Carbohydrates (g): carbs g 36; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1.5;
Sodium (mg): sodium mg 700; Cholesterol (mg): cholesterol mg 40; Fiber (g): fiber g 1;
by donutsmakemegonuts, 3/13/2014 Ok so made these and something is most definitely off
in this recipe. Tried twice, followed directions perfectly, and.... not good. The dough is not pliable.
However...... filling is delicious. Also after giving up I baked the dough and they made great biscuits perfect
for strawberry shortcake! LOL HAHAHAHHEHEHOHO Very frustrating experience
by maucooks, 6/19/2013 looks so good, but I have a Big doubt: Do I need the already
barbecued Pork to make the filling with another bbq sauce? because in the video, the pork doesn't look
marinated
by Kathleen_G, 5/14/2011 Love the dough, prefer a slightly sweeter variety of filling, but it is
good. I'm a bit annoyed to use only 1/5th of the barbequed pork, and then only 1/3rd of the filling with the
dough recipe. If I hadn't liked it, it would be a lot of wasted meat. I used my KitchenAid mixer to make the
dough, and that worked out very well.
by Philocook, 3/29/2011 Perfect results the first time! Just like my favorite Chinese deli in
San Francisco. Tried two things that made the filling stage easier - Rolled the dough portions out with a
rolling pin instead of hand-shaping, and after the pleating process I wiped the inner edge of the pleats with
a moistened finger which helped the final twist hold together better. The video was a great help.
by garchompson, 1/15/2011 Awesome recipe, they taste just like what you get at the
restaurant. It was so easy, the directions and video were excellent, success on my first try too. Will
definitely do this recipe again, next time I will try it with chicken. Will definitely share your recipe with my
mom-in-law, she loves these baos.
by Pielove, 1/10/2011 Delicious! These are a little hard to shape, so definitely watch the
video. Also, the recipe does make a lot of filling, so there will be extra. So tasty-- perfect with a big bowl of
soup.
by CathyZ, 1/9/2011 Made these for dinner tonight and they are excellent! Can not wait to
make them again. If you follow the recipe for making the bbq pork,it makes 2 to 3 times more than you
need to make the buns. Since we have a lot of meat leftover we may be eating this again in a day or two.

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