Char Siu Bao 叉烧包 considered as one of the “Four Heavenly Kings of Dim Sum” in China. Compared to regular Chinese buns, Char Siu Bao has distinctly different fragrance and texture and also sweeter taste.

This steamed buns is one of the essential Dim Sum that really brings my childhood memories.
The Soft, fluffy steamed buns filled with Chinese BBQ pork (Char Siu Pork) and the slurry sweet and savoury Char Siu Sauce.

Unlike the other common recipe that needs 2-3 days, this recipe only takes less than 24 hours to make it.
The following diagram is a guide so you can get the idea how’s the process and what we need to prepare to make these beautiful buns.

It’s very important to choose the right flour and leavening agent, otherwise the buns won’t rise well and white bright in colour

This recipe has been through so many trial and error. After some testing and tweaking, 
I found that the key to a snowy white buns is this unbleached cake flour,

a good brand of double acting baking powder,

and also special leavening agent called Ammonium Bicarbonate that helps the buns crack to the tops.

Be careful when adding this type of leavening, make sure that you measure it correctly; too much Ammonia will cause an extremely intense unpleasant ammonium smell in the dough

Some recipes state that it’s crucial to use natural sourdough; but when testing, I found that instant yeast is easier with similar results.

The filling of these buns consist of Char Siu Pork and slurry Char Siu Sauce.
Some people called it a slurry, some people call it a sauce, but whatever you called it, it’s the star of the show; and it’s what makes Char Siu Bao, “Char Siu Bao”.

One of the things that makes Char Siu Pork so tasty is a rich Marinade Sauce.
You can use store bought but I found creating your own marinade sauce makes the pork richer, smokier and more aromatic.

Some people use either shoulder, butt or neck part; it really depends on personal preference.
I’m prefer pork belly because it was the best part, they are more juicy and less likely to dry out.

There are also a few ways to roasting the pork. I found the simple and easy way to cook your pork is to roast it in the oven. Just get creative – the air should be able to circulate underneath the pork.

The steamed foreskin is just soft and smooth, and slightly cracks to reveal the barbecue stuffing, sending out the smell of barbecue.

The filling is luscious, sweet and delicious; juicy and sweet bbq pork is wrapped in soft and pillowy Chinese steamed buns.

These looks really addictive with such a flavourful filling nestled in the soft, pillowy bun. You won’t be able to forget this feeling and will crave it all the time.
I hope that you enjoy the recipe!

CHAR SIU BAO
Yield: 6 pieces
Active time: 4 hours
Total time: 19-20 hours

INGREDIENTS
Mother Dough

• 25 g Unbleached Cake Flour
• 1/6 tsp Instant Yeast
• 20 g Water

Barberque Pork

• 250-300 g Pork Belly
• 2 tbs Vegetable Oil
• 2 tbs Ginger (Minced)
• 4 tbs Green Onion (Chopped)
• 300 ml Water
• 2 tbs Rice Wine
• 1½ tbs Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
  
  
• 5 Star Anise
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 2 Cardamom Pods
• 6 Whole Cloves
• 2 Liqorice Root
• 1 Luo Han Guo (Monk Fruit)

• 1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
• 25 g Rock Sugar
• 1/2 tbs Liquid from Red Bean Curd
• 1½ tbs Red Miso Paste
• 1/2 tsp Red Yeast Rice Powder or Paprika Powder
• 1½ tbs Honey
• Additional Light Soy Sauce for Marinate

Basting Sauce
Equal part honey and marinade sauce


Starter Dough

• 24 g Mother Dough
• 72 g Unbleached Cake Flour
• 42 g Water
  

Slurry Sauce (for the filling)

• 2 tbs Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 Onion (Chopped)
• 2 Scallion (Chopped)
• 40 ml Water
• 1/2 tbs Light Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1/4 tsp Red Miso Paste
• 3/4 tbs Sweet Soy Sauce
• 1 ½ tbs Caster Sugar
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sesame Oil
  
• 1/2 tbs Corn Starch
• 1/2 tbs Unbleached Cake Flour
• 1/2 tbs Potato Starch
• 30 ml Water
  

Final Dough

• All Starter Dough (138 g)
• 50 g Caster Sugar
• 10 g Water
• 1/5 tsp Ammonium Bicarbonate
• 1/5 tsp Baking Soda
• 80 g Unbleached Cake Flour
• 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
• 1⅔ tsp Double Acting Baking Powder
• 6 g Shortening

INSTRUCTIONS
DAY 1 (7:00 p.m.)

DAY 2 (7:00 a.m.)
Starter Dough
After 12 hours, our mother dough is ready, you can see so many small bubbles and smell a bit sour.
Please note that for 1 batch of the recipe, we only use 24 g of the mother dough, you can throw the rest.

1. Add the flour and water to the 24 g of the mother dough, mix until it forms a dough ball.
2. Grease the bowl with a little bit of vegetable oil, place the dough inside the bowl, Cover with a cling wrap and then store it back to the warm place (68-72°F/ 20-22°C) for about 6-8 hours.
   

Roast the Pork

1. Preheat the oven to 130°C .
2. Line baking pan with some grease proof paper (to prevent the sugar residue stick to the pan), place a cooling rack on top of the baking pan.
   Just get creative – the air should be able to circulate underneath the pork.
3. Place the pork on a roasting tray and then roast it for 1 hour
   Keep flipping and basting every in 15 minutes (the basting sauce was simply equal parts honey and Marinade Sauce).
4. Once it’s done, brush the pork one more time with vegetable oil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting
   

Slurry Sauce (For the Filling)

1. To begin, we have to make the scallion oil;
   In a pan combine vegetable oil, onion and scallion on medium heat; fry for about one to two minutes until fragrant and then take out the onion and scallion.
   Don’t throw the delicious scallion and onion, you can add later to your dishes.
2. Pour in some water into the scallion oil along with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, red miso paste, sweet soy sauce, sugar, salt and sesame oil (let it simmer for 1 minute).
3. To thicken the sauce; in a small bowl combine corn starch, cake flour, potato flour and water (make sure that you mix it really well before you pour it to the mixture ).
   Pour thickening into the simmering mixture, continue stirring until the mixture is thicken and a bit translucent.
   Take it off from the heat, pour the mixture into a bowl, cover it with a cling wrap and then keep it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up (preferably 2 hours).
   

Combine the Filling
The ratio for the filling is equal part Char Siu Pork and slurry Char Siu Sauce.
After 2 hours in the fridge the consistency of slurry Char Siu Sauce turned similar to jelly.
Thinly slice the pork and remove the tough skin (you can keep some for your delicious Char Siu Rice). Coarsely chop the rest, combine it with slurry sauce and mix it really well.
Cover with a cling wrap and store this pork filling in the fridge while waiting for the final dough.

DAY 2 (1:00 P.M.)
Final Dough
After for about 6 hours you can see the starter dough has a lot of bubbles and it’s doubling in size.
This bubbly sponge texture is carbon dioxide produced by the yeast which makes the buns very soft.

1. Add the sugar and water into the starter dough; mix well.
   After a couple minutes of mixing, the sugar will ‘melt’ into the dough and it should be more liquid-y.
2. Add baking soda and Ammonium Bicarbonate (this chemical compound releases a large amount of carbon dioxide gas when heated forcing the dough to crack open).
   Please note: Be careful when adding this type of leavening, make sure that you measure it correctly. 1/5 tsp is about less than ¼ tsp (too much Ammonia will cause an extremely intense unpleasant ammonium smell in the dough).
   Mix for about 1-2 minutes (it’s really important that ammonium and baking soda is completely mixed with the dough); “Take your time, don’t rush this part”.
3. Add the sifted Unbleached Cake Flour, Cream of Tartar and Baking Powder; mix well.
   Gather all small crumb, be careful not to over-knead the dough, you’re just looking for the dough to come together and stop sticking.
4. Finally, add in the shortening and knead until just combined
5. Cover the dough with a cling wrap for about 5 minutes to relax the gluten and don’t forget to preheat your steamer. 

Wrapping the Bao

1. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces (it’s about 50 g each).
2. Take 1 portion of the dough, press into a thick disc.
   Grab the dough with your left hand and rolling pin on the other hand, using rolling pin roll up and back, flatten the edges of the dough while turn the dough a little by little (flatten the edges of the dough to a 10 cm circle); the center part should be slightly thick.
3. Add about 30 gr of the pork filling to the center of the dough.
4. Pinch one side of the dough and then pleat the dough around the filling in a circular motion while using your left hand thumb lightly pressing the filling downwards.
   Once you get to the end, press with force and pinch at the top of the bun to make sure everything is well sealed “kindly watch the video for more details“.
5. Place each buns onto an individual greaseproof paper (always cover the buns with a plastic wrap to prevent the skin from dying out).
   

Steaming
Place the buns into the preheated steamer;
Over high heat, steam the buns immediately for about 10-12 minutes.
Take it off from the heat and serve immediately.

NOTES

1. I highly recommend to use bamboo steamer because it doesn’t collect condensation, so you never have to worry about water dripping onto your buns.
   If you’re using metal or plastic steamers, I suggest to cover the lid with a piece of cloth, to absorb the condensation during steaming; otherwise the dropping water could affect the look of your buns.
2. Char Siu Bao crave high heat, NEVER ever open the steamer lid during the steaming process else it won’t rise perfectly.
3. Some people claims that add vinegar to the steaming water will make buns whiter,
   I personally didn’t find that method is useful.
4. The best taste and texture of Char Siu Bao, serve them straight out of the baskets while they’re steaming hot.
   If there are any left, put them in an airtight container/bag and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or 1 month in the freezer.
5. To reheat; Steam for 5-10 minutes or microwave for 1-2 minute.