Simple Operation of Char Siu Bao (Pork Buns), Pay Attention to Two Points for Perfect Buns - Home-Style Super Affordable

Char siu bao is almost unknown to Northeasterners, and a single bite evokes endless nostalgia. This flavor features a unique eating method of combining dough and meat. The buns are golden in color, resembling a full moon, with a crispy exterior and soft interior, without being hard or sticky. Its characteristics are that the smoked meat has a reddish-brown skin and meat, with fat but not greasy, and lean but not dry, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste.

Smoked meat uses pork with a combination of lean and fat as the best ingredient, paired with dozens of Chinese herbs cooked before being smoked with sugar.

For home-style versions, we don't need dozens of herbs; just a few common seasonings can create delicious smoked meat buns.

Onion, bay leaf, dried tangerine peel, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, cloves,

Add water to the pot, then add the pork, and add seasonings such as onion, bay leaf, dried tangerine peel, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, cloves, and salt. Cook the pork until a fork can easily penetrate it.

Transfer the cooked pork to a bamboo steamer, place a piece of tin foil on the bottom of the pot, add tea leaves and sugar, and cover with a lid to simmer for five minutes. The smoked meat is ready. Let it cool.

Prepare one kilogram of flour, 280 grams of old soup, making smoked meat buns with old soup and flour is best, resulting in buns that are more moist than normal pancakes; this ratio produces a softer dough and buns that are particularly tender.

Mix the flour into a crumbly state, add a little oil.

Knead the crumbly dough into a ball, then press it flat, let it rest for ten minutes, and then knead it into a smooth surface.

Prepare a little flour, add thirteen spices and salt to hot oil and stir into a yogurt-like batter, then let it rest for an hour.

Roll the rested dough into strips and divide them into four pieces.

Roll each small dough piece into a small round bun.

Brush oil on the small round bun.

Fold the brushed dough into thirds, and then fold it back down, and press the edges of the folds tightly with your hand.

Fold the folded dough into thirds, and then fold it back down, and shape it into a bun.

Roll the bun-shaped dough into a large round bun.

Fry on a flat pan or electric pancake maker until both sides are golden brown.

Onion, bell peppers, coriander, chopped.

Cut the smoked meat into slices and place them inside the fried bun.

Tips:

1When making dough, use old soup and flour, which is more moist than normal pancakes, resulting in softer and more fragrant buns.

2The rested dough needs to undergo folding and unfolding, which produces layers in the buns.