Char siu bao (steamed BBQ pork buns)
Soft steamed bao filled with sweet, sticky char siu pork — a proper crowd-pleaser for dim sum or a weekend bake.
These char siu bao are the sticky-sweet, pork-filled steamed buns you queue for at dim sum. We make the char siu from scratch and fold it into pillowy bao dough so you can taste that unmistakable glossy barbecue pork in every bite.
Make them for a weekend project or a showy party platter — they keep well refrigerated and freeze brilliantly after steaming. Expect a bit of hands-on time, but the payoff is proper, homemade bao that beat anything from a takeaway bag.
Ingredients
- 700 g pork shoulder
- 30 ml light soy sauce
- 15 ml dark soy sauce
- 45 g hoisin sauce
- 40 g honey — use some for glazing while roasting
- 5 ml Chinese five-spice powder
- 30 ml shaoxing wine
- 60 g caster sugar — total for marinade and dough
- 2 garlic cloves — finely chopped
- 500 g plain flour
- 10 g dried yeast — fast-action
- 5 ml baking powder
- 200 ml whole milk — warmed to about 40°C
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 20 g unsalted butter — softened
- 15 g cornflour — for thickening filling
- 100 ml water — for cornflour slurry and sauce
- 5 ml sesame oil
- 2 spring onions — finely sliced
- 5 ml salt
- 5 g white sesame seeds — for garnish
- 5 ml black pepper
Equipment
- bamboo steamer or metal steamer
- rolling pin
- baking tray
- kitchen brush
Instructions
Make the char siu marinade: in a bowl whisk together light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, Chinese five-spice powder, shaoxing wine, caster sugar, chopped garlic cloves and black pepper until sugar partly dissolves. Reserve a small spoonful of the mixture for glazing, then add the pork shoulder and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional. Place the marinated pork on a baking tray lined with foil. Roast for 30 minutes, turning and brushing with reserved marinade or a little extra honey every 8–10 minutes until sticky and slightly charred at the edges. Transfer to a board and leave to rest while you make the dough.
Make the bao dough: sift plain flour into a large bowl and add dried yeast, baking powder, caster sugar and salt. Mix. Make a well, pour in warmed whole milk, vegetable oil and softened unsalted butter, then stir until a rough dough forms. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 60 minutes, until roughly doubled in size.
Prepare the filling: slice the rested pork into 5–8mm dice. Heat 15ml vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add diced pork and sliced spring onions and stir for 2–3 minutes. Mix cornflour with 50ml water to make a smooth slurry, then add the slurry, remaining hoisin sauce and 15ml sesame oil to the pan. Cook for 4–6 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the pork. Taste and adjust seasoning — this is the main flavour inside the bun. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Divide and shape: knock back the proved dough and divide into 12 equal pieces (about 70–75g each). Roll each piece into a flat disc roughly 10cm across, place a generous tablespoon of cooled filling in the centre, then gather and pleat the edges to seal the bun. Place each bun seam-side down on a small square of non-stick baking paper. Cover the shaped buns with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for a further 45 minutes.
Steam the buns: bring a steamer of water to a gentle rolling boil. Arrange the buns (with their paper squares) in the steamer without them touching, cover and steam for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, turn off the heat and leave the lid on for 2 minutes before removing to prevent the tops collapsing. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds and serve hot.
Finish and serve: if you reserved glaze, brush a little honey over the cooked pork buns for extra shine. Serve immediately while warm.
Tips
- Reserve a little of the marinade before adding the pork — once the pork has been in the mix you must cook it before using as a glaze.
- If your kitchen is cold, prove the dough in an oven warmed to 30°C then turned off; keep the door slightly ajar and place the bowl on a tray to capture gentle heat.
- For neat buns, cool the filling fully before wrapping; hot filling will make the dough sticky and hard to seal.
- You can freeze steamed buns in a single layer once cooled; separate with baking paper and defrost in the fridge before reheating by steaming for 6–8 minutes.
- If you prefer a chewier texture use strong bread flour instead of plain flour — the texture will be noticeably different but still delicious.
Substitutions
pork shoulder → pork belly, same quantity
Stays closeplain flour → strong bread flour, same quantity
Noticeably differenthoney → golden syrup, same quantity
Stays closewhole milk → water plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil (200ml water + 15ml oil)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 410
- Calories
- 20 g
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 600 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use ready-made char siu instead of making it?
Yes — use about 500–600g ready-cooked char siu, dice it and proceed with the filling step. You’ll save time and the buns will still be excellent.
Can I freeze the buns?
Yes. Steam them first, cool completely, then freeze in a single layer separated by baking paper. Reheat from frozen by steaming for 8–10 minutes.
Why are my buns dense instead of fluffy?
Common causes are under-proving (not doubled in size) or too much flour when kneading. Ensure the dough proves in a warm place and resist adding excess flour.
Can I bake the buns instead of steaming?
You can bake them for a different finish (brush with egg wash and bake at 200°C fan/220°C conventional for 12–15 minutes) but they won’t have the classic soft steamed texture.
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