Vegan Char Siu Bao 叉烧包 (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.
Ingredients
Bao dough
- 200 g bao flour sub for low-gluten flour or cake flour
- 1½ tsp instant yeast
- 1½ 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.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!