Recipes » Snacks » 9 Best Baozi Recipes [Chinese Steamed Bun Ideas]
Best Chinese baozi steamed bao bun recipes. Find easy and delicious filling ideas, including vegetarian, chicken, pork belly, as well as gluten-free options.
It’s been a few years since I lived in China, but still to this day I crave the food I had on my doorstep while living in Nanjing. And no food filled me with as much joy as baozi.
Baozi are meat or vegetable fillings, wrapped in dough and steamed to perfection. There’s something brilliantly satisfying about them, and although they might seem like an appetizer, they are filling enough to make for a good breakfast or lunch meal on the go.
Here are nine of the best ways to enjoy the steamed, savory bun. I’m off to reminisce about Chinese street food.
Pork & Napa Cabbage
Ground pork is often the go-to meat filling for Chinese bao buns, and it’s easy to see why. The meat pairs perfectly with the sweet and heat flavors so prevalent in Chinese cooking, while the fat and moisture in ground pork help soak up all those flavors into one bite.
Our pork and napa cabbage gluten-free bao buns demonstrate this beautifully. Made with an easy store-bought flour blend, the dough matches the bouncy texture we want in baozi. But it’s all about the filling, which features the perfect combination of sweet and savory.
Carrot, Ginger and Pork
Practice really does make perfect for the making of baozi, particularly when it comes to making the dough. But oh boy is it worth it. In this recipe, the carrot’s flavor, when mixed with pork and ginger, is simply divine. This gives your baozi a thick, buttery taste that isn’t exactly typical but isn’t completely off-track either.
Barbecue Minced Pork
These buns are made with a char siu filling (bbq pork) and are quick and easy to make. Make sure that you knead the dough until it becomes elastic and smooth. Also, get a nice fine light low-gluten flour if you want white buns.
Dim sum restaurants often offer steamed buns made with chicken and vegetable filling, which is what this recipe emulates perfectly. Tender chicken pieces are wrapped and steamed the dough for a soft and fluffy bao bun. Also filled with napa cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, there’s a lot of savory flavors in each mouthful.
Shiitake Mushroom and Cabbage
A vegetarian baozi recipe, this is a great meat-free alternative for bao fans. The filling of shiitake mushrooms and cabbage offers plenty of fiber to keep you feeling full.
Take the time to practice folding and pleating your baozi, it’s the most difficult part of making them. It might take a while for you to refine your technique, but the results are worth the effort.
Nutella
A twist on the traditional savory steamed bun, this recipe has a yummy filling of Nutella. To add a bit more heft to the filling you can also add banana or peanut butter.
If you don’t have access to store-bought wrappers though, it’s easy to make your own with some dough rounds cut into circles about five inches in diameter as well as some pleating pastry sheets that can be found at most Asian supermarkets.
A good tip to make baozi as chewy and fluffy as possible is proper kneading, developing that gluten fully. I use my stand mixer for that. Don’t be shy! I tend to knead it for 15-20 minutes if not longer sometimes.
Also, allowing the dough to properly rest as it ferments away will give gluten enough time to relax. Those long gluten strands create the chewy fluffy texture everybody loves. Ensure the steamer is fully going before placing the raw buns in it. That would give them the proper spring to fluff up.
Gluten-Free Beef Steamed Buns
Soft and fluffy steamed buns packed with a delightfully gingery, salty beef blend. This recipe takes a delicious savory beef filling and wraps it in gluten-free steamed dough. It works much better than you might think.
Braised Oxtail
These oxtail bao buns have a deep and rich flavor that’ll have you coming back for more. You’ll need to simmer the oxtails in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, and ginger for four hours until they’re tender. The filling will have a deep flavor from the braising liquid as well as some scallions added with the final steps. To make this baozi a little more traditional, add some chopped cilantro before steaming them for optimal flavor.
Vegan Mushroom and Tofu
Making versions of classic Asian dishes isn’t always easy, but this recipe does it perfectly. Instead of traditional pork belly or shredded chicken, these steamed buns use mushroom, tofu, and a good deal of seasoning. It works beautifully.
Bao Buns (pronounced “bow”), but also known as a 'steamed buns' or 'baozi' 包子, are a delicious, warm, fluffy treat of stuffing wrapped inside a sweet, white dough. Made with a mix of flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk and oil, the bao is a tad sweeter than its closely related cousin, the dumpling.
When it comes to the dip, hoisin sauce, sweet chilli or a simple soy sauce with sesame oil make great pairings. We love to eat bao alongside some bouncy or zingy veggies. For zingy veg, we suggest some quick pickled cucumber.
Mantou (traditional Chinese: 饅頭; simplified Chinese: 馒头), often referred to as Chinese steamed bun, is a white and soft type of steamed bread or bun popular in northern China. Folk etymology connects the name mantou to a tale about Zhuge Liang.
A gua bao, also known as a pork belly bun, bao, or bao bun, is a type of lotus leaf bun originating from Fujianese cuisine in China. It is also a popular snack in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Nagasaki Chinatown in Japan.
While the buns are steaming, make the hoisin dipping sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water and the vinegar. Serve with the buns.
or bao is a filled bun that you can find in China. They have many different fillings as well as preparations, and they can be meat or vegetarian. Baozi are also known as 'steamed buns' because they're most often cooked in a steamer. Like dumplings, baozi are made from flour.
A lotus seed bun is a Chinese sweet bun found in China. They are prepared by steaming a yeast-leavened dough that contains lotus seed paste. It can be classified as a dim sum, though not exclusively so.
Steamed buns made with lean meats and vegetables can be a healthy option, as they are typically low in fat and calories and high in protein and fiber. However, some buns may be made with high-fat meats or sweet fillings that are high in sugar, which can contribute to an unhealthy diet if consumed in large quantities.
The best side dishes to serve with bao buns are cucumber salad, steamed dumplings, spring rolls, edamame, sauteed mushrooms, fish cake ramen, potstickers, kimchi pancakes, lo mein, tsuyu sauce, cream cheese gravy, egg drop soup, char siu pork, pickled vegetables, fried rice, wonton soup, crispy tofu, and bok choy.
In Chinese history, baozi and mantou both belong to the same class of food: mantou. The history of mantou begins long before baozi, and the term “baozi” is just a derivative of mantou.
The bao buns need 10-12 minutes to steam, so I recommend steaming the bao buns (homemade or frozen) just before serving. Allow about 3 buns per person as a main meal.
Bao is also known as baozi, bao bun, or steamed buns. It is a main dish originating in the Northern Chinese city of Xi'an. Today, bao buns are available in Chinese restaurants in China, Taiwan, Asia, and many countries worldwide.
A standard steamed bao typically contains about 200-250 calories, positioning it as a moderate-calorie food option. Additionally, bao serves as a source of protein and dietary fiber, particularly when made with whole grain flours or filled with vegetables or lean meats.
Steamed buns made with lean meats and vegetables can be a healthy option, as they are typically low in fat and calories and high in protein and fiber. However, some buns may be made with high-fat meats or sweet fillings that are high in sugar, which can contribute to an unhealthy diet if consumed in large quantities.
As mentioned before Bao Buns are also commonly referred to as “bao, bay, pow, pau, paoare, Mantou, baozi, humbow, nunu, bakpao, bausak, however the most common terminology will be Bao or Steamed Buns. These soft delicious Chinese treats have been in existence for hundreds of years!
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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