Steamed Pork Buns

Summer is over. Finally. The. Day. Has. Come. Cute jackets, boots and scarves are now part of my daily wardrobe. Yay. Anyways, with the cooling weather comes the comfort food cravings. For the last couple of weeks I have been eating rice porridge. So good. Also, because I was carrying this Florida cold with me... finally starting to feel better. You are always so thankful to just be normal after something like this. Okay, drifting again... time to talk about my love for steam pork buns, not only because my name is Bao. In Vietnamese and Chinese, its some sort of bun. These homemade buns are so easy to make, the only time consuming part is waiting for the dough to rise. However, with a little patience you can make 100 buns if you like! :)

Ingredients: 
For the dough: 
1 packet of dry active yeast 
3 cups of flour
1 cup of warm water
2 tbsp of vegetable oil (no olive oil)
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt

Filling: (any vegetable works, just make sure to remove excess water)
Ground pork
2 cloves of garlic
1 whole onion - diced
2 cups of mushrooms - diced
2 carrots - diced
4-5 green onions stalks - diced
1 tbsp of soy sauce
Hard boiled eggs (cut into quarter slices)

Steamed Pork Buns 

Now lets get started!

Mix the warm water, dry active yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl - this is to activate the yeast 

Next add in flour, I like to mix a bit at a time. No mixer needed, just your hands! 

The dough may need a bit more water, just feel with your hands. The dough should be a bit sticky and not super dry. 

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a warm towel. I suggest turning your oven on to 200 degrees (turn off after 15 minutes) and sitting the bowl on top of your stove. This helps the dough rise quicker... but please watch! You do not want to prematurely cook your dough. :)  

Now stir-fry your onions, garlic and carrots! After they are cooked through, 3-5 minutes. Remove... 

And cook your ground pork through. 

Once the pork is fully cooked, add in your cooked vegetables and your raw green onions. Quick stir-fry, add in your seasonings. Soy sauce and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and cool off the filling. 

 THE DOUGH!! 

To make even buns, start by splitting the dough in half, then quarters, etc. This recipe makes around 12-14 buns. 

 Row out the dough, make sure that the middle (the bottom) stays thicker than the sides. The bottom needs to be thick to hold the filling. 

STUFF IT! stuff it as much as you can. :) I used about a tablespoon and a half for each bun. 

Top if off with your beautiful egg. 

I know, I need practice wrapping. LOL However, I hold it in my hand and slowly lift the edges of the dough around the filling and gently press the edges together to seal that yummy filling inside. Continue until all your buns are filled with the goodness. 

I place each bun on a cupcake liner. Or you can use parchment paper cut into individual squares. Cupcake liners are less work. :) Let the buns sit for another 30 minutes to rise again! PATIENCE. Read a book, watch some youtube. 

OMG, pillows of goodness!! I eat mine with chili oil or rooster sauce. 

Thanks for reading! 

Enjoy!

XX

Kathy