Scrumptious bao bun recipe with Sing Kee

Bao bun recipes for all!

In recent times, bao bun street food stalls and bao restaurants are popping up in many food districts, as people flock to enjoy these Chinese bites of deliciousness! Becoming a staple of many menus and diets due to their versatility in flavours and the wide range of ingredients of what to serve with bao buns makes them appealing to many appetites and provide chefs with the opportunity to experiment in the kitchen.
Are steamed buns healthy?

The health rating of your bao buns or steamed buns depends mostly on how you decide to fill them. Vegan bao buns are generally a healthier option as they are usually vegetable-based. However, the traditional dough consists of flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk and oil, so should be incorporated into a balanced diet. 
Sing Kee’s Bao Menu

Here at Sing Kee we are big lovers of bao buns and being adventurous when it comes to the fusion of various flavours, for this reason, we stock a range of different bao bun flavours and have also included a recipe for our favourite traditional option!

Traditional Bao Bun Filling Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil

• 800g boneless pork cut into slices

• 4 tbsp brown sugar

• 3 crush garlic cloves

• Small piece of sliced ginger

• 2 pieces of star anise

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• Sprinkle of Chinese 5 spice

• 250g plain flour 

• 1tbsp caster sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp dried yeast

• 50ml milk

• Handful of chopped coriander

• Shredded spring onions


Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160c/140c fan/gas mark 3

2. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large dish on medium heat. Start to brown the pork, once ready transfer to a clean plate

3. Next, add the sugar into the pan and cook until it starts to dissolve and caramelise, then stir in the garlic, ginger and star anise and cook together for a further minute

4. Slowly pour in the wine and soy sauce, then add the pork to the caramel mix to coat the meat, pour in 100ml of water, a dash of five-spice and simmer

5. To create the bao buns, place the dry ingredients into a large bowl with a pinch of salt and mix

6. Add the milk, oil and 100ml of lukewarm water to the mixture, mix and then knead for a further 10 minutes until a smooth dough is formed. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover until doubled in size

7. Once ready, place the dough onto a floured surface and roll into a log shape, cut this into 10 equal portions which you can then roll into small rounded buns. Take a rolling pin and flatten each ball into an oval shape

8. To create the iconic bao bun shape, take each oval, lightly grease them and fold over a chopstick. Leave to rise for approx 1 hour

9. Remove the chopsticks and heat a steamer and cook the buns on baking parchment for 10 minutes until puffy

10. Cut a slit into each bao and fill with the pork and drizzle on the sauce

11. Serve with coriander and spring onions for a fresh edge - enjoy!


For an easier alternative shop our ready-made steamed buns