Vegan Char Siu Bao 叉烧包 (Chinese BBQ Pork Buns)

vegan char siu bao chinese bbq pork buns

A dim sum staple made vegan: Char Siu Bao or Chinese BBQ Pork Buns. With a sweet umami tofu char siu filling and the fluffiest buns you’ll ever sink your teeth into.

Char siu bao is one of my favourite steamed buns, and I used to eat them all the time. A few times a week, in fact.

My family lived in Cheras, we would get steamed buns from our favourite Chinese uncle by the roadside. He handmade bao with so many different fillings: char siu (BBQ pork), vegetables, red bean paste, lotus seed paste and even peanuts. If you wanted to eat them straightaway, you’d buy the freshly steamed ones from his large metal steaming machine. But he also sold some steamed and already cooled down bao for people like my family to bring home and enjoy throughout the week.

During my high-school days, I would bring one char siu bao and one cai bao (vegetable bun) for lunch. The char siu bao was always so fluffy and soft, and the char siu filling was rich, savoury and hearty.

vegan char siu bao chinese bbq pork buns

And that’s exactly how I would describe this vegan char siu bao. I’m not sure which part I like better: the homemade tofu char siu, so rich in umami and delicious. Or perhaps it’s the fluffy white bun – literally feels like I’m biting into a cloud or sinking into a soft and warm pillow.

How to get white and fluffy bao?

The secret is none other than using bao flour!

It makes sense: if you want white and fluffy bao… it’s best to use flour specifically produced to make bao.

Bao flour a type of low-protein flour, which means that there is lesser gluten formation in the dough. Gluten is what gives bread structure and chew. We don’t want a chewy bao, we want a fluffy steamed bun! Bao flour also produces white bao.

If you can’t find bao flour, you could also use cake flour.

Tips to make the best vegan char siu bao

  • Use bao flour or low-gluten flour like cake flour. Trust me, I’ve tried making bao with all-purpose flour many many times, and they never came out as fluffy as a steamed bun should be. If you use all-purpose flour instead of bao flour, the bao will also turn out yellow. The bun doesn’t change in terms of taste, but it’s always nice to have lighter-coloured baos.
  • When steaming the bao, start with room temperature water first. This gives the bao more time to rise in the steamer as the water heats up and reaches a boil.
  • Do not open the lid while steaming! After steaming, turn off the heat and leave the lid on for 5 minutes before opening the lid and removing the bao. The sudden temperature drop will cause the bao to sink in and deform.
  • Season your char siu filling generously. I often make the mistake of under-seasoning the filling, but remember that the filling will be eaten together with the bun so it should be on the saltier side.
vegan char siu Chinese BBQ pork

I used my Vegan Char Siu to make this char siu bao! If you plan on making these buns, you should start with the char siu first.

If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!

vegan char siu bao chinese bbq pork buns

Vegan Char Siu Bao 叉烧包 (Chinese BBQ Pork Buns)

eatwkriss
A dim sum staple made vegan: Char Siu Bao or Chinese BBQ Pork Buns. With a sweet umami tofu char siu filling and the fluffiest buns you'll ever sink your teeth into.
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Resting Time 30 mins
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Malaysian
Servings 10 baos

Ingredients
  

Bao dough

  • 200 g bao flour sub for low-gluten flour or cake flour
  • tsp instant yeast
  • tsp baking powder
  • 50 g white granulated sugar
  • 100 ml lukewarm water
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • all-purpose flour for dusting

Char siu filling

  • 1 shallot minced
  • 150 g vegan char siu*
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
  • ½ tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ tbsp cornstarch
  • white pepper to taste

Instructions
 

Make the bao dough

  • In a medium bowl, add all the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour in the water and mix together.
  • Once a shaggy dough forms, transfer to a floured work surface. With floured hands, knead the dough for a 5-7 minutes. Dust with flour whenever it starts to stick, but be careful not to add too much. You should get a dough that is soft, no longer sticky and springs back when you poke it.
  • Shape into a ball and place back into the bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Cook the filling

  • In a pan over medium heat, fry the shallots with some oil until fragrant. Add in the vegan char siu and cook for 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat and pour in the sauces, water and cornstarch slurry. Season with white pepper to taste.
  • The filling should be slightly sticky, not too dry or wet. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Fill the bao

  • Transfer the rested dough on to a floured working surface.
  • Roll the dough out into a rectangle with a rolling pin, fold it over itself in half then roll it out again. Repeat twice more.
  • Starting from the longest side, roll the dough tightly into a log. Then divide the dough into 10 equal parts, 35-40g each.
  • Cover the dough balls with a kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Flatten each ball of dough into a small round with your palm. Then start to roll only the edges of the dough, rotating the round 45° after each roll. The edges should be thinner then the center. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  • With the dough on your left palm, place 1-1½ tbsp of filling in the center of the round. Use your right thumb and first forefinger to pleat the dough while using your left thumb to press down on the filling. Rotate the bun as you pleat. Once you reach the end, pinch the last bit of dough together then press it down.
  • Place the pleated bao on a piece of parchment paper and put directly on your steaming surface. Repeat until all buns are assembled. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise for 15 minutes.

Steam the bao

  • With the bao in the steamer, start with cold water and turn on the heat. Once the water starts to boil, steam the bao for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and keep the lid on. Let the bao rest for 5 minutes before opening the lid.
  • Serve warm.

Notes

*I used my Vegan Char Siu in this recipe. Some people use king oyster mushrooms to replace the char siu, however I find that it doesn’t taste very similar to char siu. If using mushrooms, increase the amount of seasoning as the vegan char siu is already flavourful on it’s own.
This bao recipe is adapted from Guangdong pastry chef, Li Qi Da.
Keyword bao, buns, savoury, sweet, umami
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
vegan char siu bao chinese bbq pork buns pin

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