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Char Siu Bao are steamed pork buns. Soft, fluffy steamed buns filled with Chinese BBQ pork or char siu. Easy, authentic and the best char siu bao recipe!
Cha Siu Bao Recipe
Cha Siu Bao (also spelled as Cha Siu Bao or Char Siew Bao) is one of the signature dishes in dim sum restaurants around the world.
Called 叉烧包, or cha shao bao in Chinese, they are a Chinatown classic!
Originated from Guangzhou in mainland China, Cha Siu Bao is a delicacy.
These Cantonese steamed pork buns are found in many Cantonese-Chinese restaurants serving dim sum.
Imagine soft, fluffy white steamed buns filled with savory char siu or Chinese BBQ pork filling in a sweet and savory char siu sauce; they are absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
Ingredients For Char Siu Bao Filling
- Char siu
- Cooking oil
- Soy sauce
- Cornstarch
- Oyster sauce
- Sugar
- Salt
- Sesame oil
- Red food colouring
- Water
- Yellow onion
Ingredients For Char Siu Bao Dough
- Low-protein flour
- Wheat starch
- Baking powder
- Vegetable oil
- Active dry yeast
- Powdered sugar
- Water
- Chinese white vinegar
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
For soft and fluffy homemade steamed buns, you need a mixture of low-gluten flour and wheat starch.
The low-gluten flour is called Hong Kong Flour in Malaysia and you can get the flour from supermarket.
If you can’t find Hong Kong flour, you may use cake flour as the substitute.
The end result will be softer and fluffier steamed buns compared to all-purpose flour.
Cooking Tips
To make dim sum restaurant quality char siu bao or steamed pork buns, please following the cooking tips below:
- If bigger bun is desired, divide dough into 12 equal portions.
- There is no need to rest the char siu bao dough after adding in the baking powder. If time allows, rest it for 10 minutes to get fluffier buns.
- Add Chinese white vinegar into the steaming water to produce whiter buns. This is an optional step.
- The steamer must be preheated before steaming the buns. They will not rise properly without the hot steam.
- Spray the surface of the buns with water mist will help to produce steamed buns with beautiful and smooth surface.
- DO NOT open the steamer’s lid during the steaming process.
- If there are yellowish spots on the steamed buns, it means the baking powder is not properly dissolved.
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t recommend freezing but you can certainly keep them in the refrigerator.
Pack the leftovers in a plastic bag and keep in the fridge for up to a week.
To serve, just reheat them in a steamer or microwave for 1 minute.
For the filling, use homemade char siu for the best results. You can also use char siu from restaurants.
Each bun is only 193 calories.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve this dish with other Cantonese dim sum or Chinese appetizers. For a homemade dim sum meal, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Char Siu Bao (Steamed Pork Buns)
Ingredients
Char Siu Filling:
- 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 250 g (9 oz) char siu, diced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1-2 drops red food coloring, optional
- salt, to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 150 ml water
Char Siu Bao Dough:
- 280 g (10 oz) low-protein flour, (Hong Kong flour), cake flour or all-purpose flour
- 100 g (3½ oz) wheat starch
- 90 g (3 oz) powdered sugar
- 8 g (⅕ oz) active dry yeast , or instant yeast
- 160 ml lukewarm water
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese white vinegar, or lemon juice, optional
- 30 g (1 oz) vegetable oil
- 10 g (¼ oz) baking powder
- 10 ml cold water
Instructions
Char Siu Filling:
- Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the char siu, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and red food coloring (if using). Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, then add salt to taste.
- Mix the cornstarch and water together, then add it to the filling. Simmer on low heat until the sauce thickens. Remove the filling from the pan and let it cool. Divide the filling into 16 portions and set aside.
Char Siu Bao Dough Recipe:
- Sift the flour, wheat starch, and powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yeast, lukewarm water, and vinegar or lemon juice (if using). Gently dissolve the yeast in the water. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture and then add the vegetable oil.
- Knead the dough by hand for 15 minutes, or until a soft, smooth, and shiny dough forms. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it has expanded in size. Dissolve the baking powder in the cold water, then sprinkle it over the dough and knead until well combined. For fluffier buns, let the dough rest for 10 minutes after adding the baking powder.
- Cut the dough into 16 equal portions and divide them accordingly.
- Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a 3-inch (7 cm) circle. Place a portion of the filling in the center.
- Wrap and fold the dough over the filling.
- Pinch and twist the dough to enclose the opening, ensuring the char siu bao is tightly sealed at the top. Place each bun on a 2" x 3" (5 cm x 7 cm) piece of parchment paper. Repeat until you have made 16 buns.
- Arrange the buns in a steamer, leaving about a 1-inch (2.5 cm) gap between them. Spray a light mist of water over the buns and steam in a preheated steamer on high heat for 10 minutes. (You may add 1 teaspoon of Chinese white vinegar to help keep the char siu bao white.) Remove the buns from the steamer and serve warm.
Notes
- If bigger bun is desired, divide dough into 12 equal portions.
- There is no need to rest the char siu bao dough after adding in the baking powder. If time allows, rest it for 10 minutes to get fluffier buns.
- Add Chinese white vinegar into the steaming water to produce whiter buns. This is an optional step.
- The steamer must be preheated before steaming the buns. They will not rise properly without the hot steam.
- Spray the surface of the buns with water mist will help to produce steamed buns with beautiful and smooth surface.
- DO NOT open the steamer’s lid during the steaming process.
- If there are yellowish spots on the steamed buns, it means the baking powder is not properly dissolved.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I make the dough the day before or overnight?
It’s better to make fresh.
Hi! Is Wheat Flour different from Wheat Starch?
Thanks.
Yes completely different.
Hi if I want to use double action baking powder what should I change for the recipe to work ? Thanks !
It should be fine.
All I can say is YUM! The bread came out so fluffy and delicious. I was a little hesitant adding the powdered sugar, but it works. I made mine a little bigger and steamed for 12 minutes. The tips were very useful, otherwise I would have totally peeked on them during the cooking process. Absolutely delicious and I will be making it again.
Thanks for your support!
Hi,
Is there a substitute for wheat starch?
Cornstarch is OK but it’s best to use wheat starch.
My bao turns up not fluffy, a bit dense, is it i use room temperature water instead of cold water? I used corn starch as i don’t have wheat starch.
You can’t use corn starch.
Hey there! You said above that we can use corn starch, so does it have to be wheat starch or no?
Can use corn starch.
The best dough I’ve tried! Some recipes calls for double proofing, poolish egg whites, or ammonium, but they don’t yield that smooth, fluffy delicious tasting buns like this recipe. I use this dough for everything, from Lai Wong Bao, Liu Sha Bao, Chicken, and plain mantou. Thank you!
Awesome thanks. You can also try my mantou recipe!
I found it! Best dough I have ever worked with. Thank you so much Rasa M’sia.
Awesome.
Hi, just made this but to my surprise the dough is brown I spite of putting white vinegar in the boiling water before steaming, so far so good except for the color
If it’s brown, it means you over steam the buns.
Do I need to proof the bun before steam it?
Please follow the instructions on the recipe card!
Hi, I try your recipe , according to your measurement, but my dough is so sticky and wet that I needed to add 2 cups of flour , is it normal?
No, it’s not correct. Your measurement must be way off.
Linda,
My experience in twice making this : it’s better to also weigh the water (water 160ml = 160gr).
By weighing the water, my 2nd attempt result is a flexible dough with a nice dough feel that is neither sticky nor dry (my 1st attempt result was a rather dry & tougher dough).
Hi! I made this tonight and it came out amazing! I did have a few little brown spots. How do you ensure the baking powder is fully mixed in? Also, can it be added when you first make the dough instead of after it’s risen?
Can you also bake these? In Hawaii, we eat these (aka manapua) steamed or baked. Our favorite is pizza manapua, which I’m trying to recreate.
You can’t bake this. You will need puff pastry for baked buns.