I absolutely love sharing challenging recipes with fellow cooking enthusiasts. 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.

Why This Recipe Works

After many (many!) attempts at perfecting these buns, I’ve found that the combination of yeasted dough and two-stage cooking creates magic. The dough puffs up beautifully while the bottom crisps to golden perfection, and that moment when you bite into the juicy filling? Pure heaven!

Understanding Key Components

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.
   • Active dry yeast brings fluffiness and lift. My favourite yeast brand is Sal and it’s very beginner friendly.
   • Warm water creates perfect environment to activate your yeast. Aim for body temperature. If your water is too hot, it’ll kill the yeast, whereas cold water does not prompt the fermentation process.
   • Oil adds tenderness to the dough. Use neutral flavoured oils – e.g. vegetable, canola, sunflower oils are great options.
   • Proper kneading develops the gluten which provides structure. It should take around 5-10 minutes.
   • Patience during rising is crucial. If you live in a colder climate, it might take you much longer – a trick is to leave your dough near your heater!
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.
   • Fatty pork ensures juiciness so use a mince with a higher fat content! Can substitute with chicken mince if you cannot eat pork
   • Fresh aromatics and seasonings add flavour and helps to mask the porky smell of the mince. You can find all the ingredients are your local Asian grocery stores.
   • Water helps with the juiciness of the buns
   • I do have a vegetarian recipe for these buns! Just search ‘Vegetable buns’ on this website.
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.

Tips (From My Kitchen to Yours!)

• Keep dough covered always as you roll and shape your buns, otherwise a dry skin will form on the buns.
• Allow enough time for your yeast to activate! It should look cloudy with a foam on top. Rushing this step will affect your buns’ ability to rise
• Let it rise somewhere warm. If it’s cold where you are, it might take you longer – a trick if to place your dough near one of your heaters!
• Practice makes perfect with pleating
• Stand back when adding water to the pan and keep that lid handy to cover immediately.
• Temperature control is key! Low-med heat is ideal as you want the buns to brown but won’t burn when they’re steaming.
• Be patient with the crisping

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

• Dough cannot be made days before.
• Mince can be prepared the day before and left refrigerated.
• Shaped buns freeze well up to 1 month. Remember to place them on a floured parchment paper and space them out to prevent sticking. Frozen buns do not need to be thawed, pop them straight into the pan (they will just take a bit longer to cook).

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.