Traditionally, Char Siu Bao needs several days to prepare. We will make it in just a
few hours. No mother dough or ammonium bicarbonate is required in this recipe. Stay tuned to
find out more!
Char Siu Bao is a must-eat in Dim Sum. Today I would like to show you how you can easily
make it at home.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, powdered sugar, instant yeast, and aluminum-free
baking powder. Pour in the extra light olive oil and water.
First, use a pair of chopsticks to combine the wet and dry ingredients. Then use your
hands to knead the mixture until it comes together into a ball of dough. If it is too
sticky add another tablespoon of cake flour, if it is too dry add another tablespoon of
water and knead again. The dough should feel soft but not sticky.
Cover the dough with a bowl. Rest for 10 minutes.
On a flat working surface, knead the dough until smooth for 5 minutes. Dust some flour
if needed. You might notice our char siu bao doesn't completely look like the ones they
serve in Dim Sum. That s because we didn't use ammonium bicarbonate. But the chemical
isn't good for our health when eating too much of it, so I won't be using it today.
Cover the dough with a bowl. Rest for 30 minutes.
In a bowl, mix in the ingredients, fermented red bean curd sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce,
dark soy sauce, honey, chicken stock, and cornstarch slurry, which is 1 1/2 tablespoons
of cornstarch and 4 tablespoons of water.
In a pan over medium heat, add the extra light olive oil and onion. Stir-fry until aromatic
for 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce. Stir until it's thickened.
In a large bowl, transfer in the char siu. For my Char Siu recipe, you can click on the
link right here. And add the sauce. Mix. Wait until cool.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it becomes round and flat.
Roll up the dough into a log, about 20 inches in length.
Cut off the 2 ends. Then cut it into 8 equal pieces. Work on a piece at a time. Cover the
rest with plastic wrap.
Dust some flour on the working surface, first press down the dough, then roll it into a
disc, about 5 inches in diameter. It should be thicker in the center and thinner around
the edges. Do the same with the rest of the dough.
Place about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the wrapper.
Pinch together the 2 sides of the wrapper. Also, pinch together the other 2 sides. Seal
the rest of the edges. Gather the 4 pointy ends of the buns and pinch them together.
Make it into a round bun.
Place the bun on a square parchment paper. Put the bun on a bamboo steamer. Do the same
with the rest of the buns.
Cover the lid. Rest for 30 minutes until they become bigger and fuller.
In a large steamer over high heat, bring it to a boil. Transfer the bamboo steamer inside?
cover the lid, and steam for 10 minutes.
Serve!