If you’ve already mastered making dumplings then I have a challenge for you: Sheng Jian Bao, or Crispy Pork Buns. They’re juicy pan-fried pork-filled buns, commonly seen in Chinese restaurants. They are slightly different from the Chinese dumplings but the process is very much similar. Definitely a little bit more advanced to make but don’t worry, practice makes perfect and they are indeed very delicious.

There are 3 main components to this dish: The dough, the filling and the frying.

1. Dough: typical dumpling dough is a simple flour-and-water dough but these are yeasted dough, which makes them more fluffy and bun-like. They’re a little tougher to handle in my opinion but a little practice can go a long way.
2. Filling: it’s pork-based but if you cannot eat pork, please feel free to substitute with chicken mince indeed. You definitely would want your mince to have a little fattier for a juicier bun, otherwise a lean mince can result in a rather dry bun.
3. Frying: it’s a 2-step method of steaming and frying; don’t worry, it’s all going to be in the same pan. You will need to fry the buns first to get a golden bottom then pour in water to create steam. Steam is key to cooking the dough and filling, without it the buns will be raw.

Ingredients

Dough:

250g plain flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
140 ml warm water

Filling:

250g pork mince (mince with high fat content)
4 scallion/spring onion stalks, sliced thin
1 tbsp ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, grated
¼ cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white pepper

Garnish:

Scallion/ spring onion, sliced
Sesame seeds, toasted

Method

1. Dough: in a bowl, combine water, sugar and yeast together. Mix well to combine and cover with a plate, let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture is foamy on the top. Add flour, salt and oil and mix well until all the water is absorbed. Pour mixture onto a clean surface and knead for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Place dough ball back into the bowl and cover with tea towel for 45 min – 1 hour.
2. Filling: combine all the filling ingredients together in a bowl, mix well and set aside.
3. Rolling: divide dough into 2 equal pieces and put 1 back into the bowl with the tea towel while you work on the other piece. Roll piece into a log and divide into 8-10 pieces, depending on how big you want the buns to be.
4. While you work on one piece, cover the rest to prevent drying. Shape it into a ball and with a miniature rolling pin, roll it into a circle (approx.. ¼ cm thick). Place approx. 1 tbsp of filling into the centre of the circle and create pleats around the edges to form a bao bun. (see video above for visuals). Repeat for the remaining dough pieces.
5. Frying: place a frying pan, with enough oil to cover the base of the pan, over medium heat. Place the bao buns into the oil and fry until the bottoms are golden brown. Once the bottoms are crispy, drop the heat by a bit, then pour approx. ¼ – ½ cup of water (enough to cover the base of the pan) into the pan and immediately cover with a lid, be careful it’s going to splatter so do it quickly. Let it steam for 8-10 minutes, uncover and let the water evaporate off. Fry for an extra 5 minutes to crisp up the bottoms again.
6. Garnish with sesame seeds and onion slices.