The BEST Bao Buns Recipe & Video - Seonkyoung Longest (2024)

FAQs

Why add vinegar to bao? ›

A trick to making the buns white is to add vinegar to the water in the steamer. The acidic vapor makes the buns white during steaming because, you know, science. Other people squeeze a bit of lime directly into the dough during kneading.

Microwaving from Frozen

Use water to wet all surfaces of the frozen bao bun (this will ensure that the dough doesn't crack when heated). Place bun on a plate in the microwave. Heat on high for approximately one minute.

Bao Buns (pronounced “bow”), but also known as a 'steamed buns' or 'baozi' 包子, are a delicious, warm, fluffy treat of stuffing wrapped inside a sweet, white dough. Made with a mix of flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk and oil, the bao is a tad sweeter than its closely related cousin, the dumpling.

Any rush of cool air could potentially make the buns collapse. If you're making fluffy yeasted buns, let the buns sit covered in the steamer for an extra 5 minutes after the heat has been turned off. This resting time is crucial. If you open the lid too quickly, the cool air from outside might deflate the buns.

Preboiling the water can sometimes lead to a firmer texture if the bao has not fully leavened or proofed.

Vinegar helps with creating a tender and moist crumb

This is because the acidity of vinegar interferes with gluten development. Gluten is a protein that can make our baked goods tough when overworked, which is why you'll often hear me talking about not overmixing your batter.

Soy-ginger sauce: This simple dipping sauce is quick to make. I mix soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos), finely chopped ginger and sesame seeds. The ginger will infuse the soy sauce. So sometimes I make this ahead of time so the ginger flavor will be stronger.

Heat a large steamer over a medium-high heat. Steam the buns for 8 mins until puffed up (you'll need to do this in batches). Prise open each bun and fill with our barbecue pork and pickled carrot & mooli. Eat while they're still warm.

Bao or Baozi are said to have been invented in China during the 3rd century by a military strategist called Zhuge Liang [181-234]. They were first named Mantou but over time they began to be referred to as baozi or bao meaning to wrap in Mandarin.

What do you eat with bao buns? ›

We always serve these buns with thinly sliced carrot and/or cucumber, fresh cilantro or mint, avocado, chiles, and sesame seeds. A few pickled jalapeños or the banh mi pickles from this recipe would also be excellent here.

A gua bao, also known as a pork belly bun, bao, or bao bun, is a type of lotus leaf bun originating from Fujianese cuisine in China. It is also a popular snack in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Nagasaki Chinatown in Japan.

Grain-based black vinegar (醋, cù) is a fixture of Chinese pantries that adds a rich, slightly sweet, tangy flavor to raw salads and cooked dishes. The same Maillard reaction that turns your onions into sweet, concentrated slivers of caramelized flavor is responsible for black vinegar's deep umami.

When consumed, vinegar helps to break down starchy food such as noodles, wheat buns and white rice. Soy sauce, the 'Chinese salt' is made from beans while vinegar is made from a variety of berries and grains. Vinegar has been used in China for thousands of years, since the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC–256 BC).

It is used to flavor dishes — often to add a brightness or a “punchy” flavor to whatever you are making — and as a preserving and pickling agent to keep foods fresh.

Made with fermented rice, rice vinegar is a condiment ubiquitous across Asia. Sweeter than distilled white vinegar, it adds a mild blanket of acidity to marinades, sauces, and stir-fries.