Pumpkin Shaped Pork Steamed Buns (Bao)
Who can resist a savory pork filling in a fluffy steamed bun shaped like a pumpkin?? Check out these Pumpkin Shaped Pork Steamed Buns (Bao)
Ingredients
Dough
- ½ oz sugar
- 2 oz warm water (105°F)
- ¼ oz active dry yeast
- 16 oz all purpose Flour
- 1 oz vegetable shortening
- 4 oz sugar
- 8 oz warm whole milk (105°F)
- ½ oz vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon baking powder mixed with ¾ oz water
- ⅛ teaspoon orange food coloring for pumpkins
- a few drops green food coloring for stems/vines
Pork Filling
- 1 lb pork (ground or minced) (454g)
- 2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Low Sodium Soy Sauce (35g/37ml)
- 2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce (28g/30ml)
- 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice (4g)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 whole Green Onion (fine sliced) (50g)
- ¼ cup Onion (super fine chop) (15g)
- ½ cup Carrots (super fine chop) (30g)
- ½ tablespoon Ginger (minced) (8g)
- ½ tablespoon Parsley (super fine chop) (8g)
Dipping Sauce
- ½ cup Light Soy Sauce (64g/118ml)
- ½ cup Rice Wine Vinegar (64g/118ml)
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice (28g/30ml)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon Sesame Oil (10ml)
- 1 teaspoon crushed Red pepper flakes or Fresh chiles such as jalapeño, serrano, or Thai “bird” chiles (3-5g)
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon green onion tops - thinly sliced - added to dipping sauce when served
- Sprinkling of black sesame seeds
Additional Kitchen Items Needed
- 14-16 pieces of kitchen twine (each approx 14-18 inches long) soaked in ½ cup neutral oil for tying the pumpkins
- 14-16 toothpicks, lightly rubbed with neutral oil
- 14-16 3x3 inch squares of parchment paper
- bamboo steamer basket or other steamer basket and large pot with lid
Instructions
Dough
- Dissolve the ½ oz of sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it stand for a few minutes, then stir. Let the mixture sit in a warm space for 10 minutes until the yeast begins to bloom (foam). Meanwhile, put the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the center. Put the shortening, sugar, milk and yeast mixture in the well and start to stir to combine with the flour, gradually incorporating the flour. Knead the dough for 10 minutes – adding a little flour as needed if the dough is too sticky. Alternatively you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook and mix until the dough is smooth.½ oz sugar, 2 oz warm water (105°F), ¼ oz active dry yeast, 16 oz all purpose Flour, 1 oz vegetable shortening, 4 oz sugar, 8 oz warm whole milk (105°F)
- Oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl, oiling the dough ball as well. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. If you didn't make the filling and dipping sauce in advance, make it while the dough rests.½ oz vegetable oil
- Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a clean work surface. Punch the dough down and flatten it to ¾ inch. Spread the baking powder/water mixture evenly on top of the flattened dough, then pinch off a small golf ball size piece and set aside.1 tablespoon baking powder mixed with ¾ oz water
- Place the dough back in two separate bowls. Add the orange food coloring to the larger segment of dough and the green food coloring to the smaller segment of dough, then fold the dough over several times and begin to knead the dough. (Using a bowl for this step instead of kneading on a flat surface will prevent the dye from staining your countertops.)⅛ teaspoon orange food coloring for pumpkins, a few drops green food coloring for stems/vines
- Knead for about 10-15 minutes until firm and smooth. Cover, and let rest for 30 more minutes.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and begin making the bao.
Pork Filling
- Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and place in an air tight bag or container. Marinate for a minimum of 1 hour, but preferably overnight.1 lb pork (ground or minced), 2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Low Sodium Soy Sauce, 2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce, 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice, 1 teaspoon Salt, 2 whole Green Onion (fine sliced), ¼ cup Onion (super fine chop), ½ cup Carrots (super fine chop), ½ tablespoon Ginger (minced), ½ tablespoon Parsley (super fine chop)
Dipping Sauce
- Mix all of the ingredients well and let sit for at least a couple of hours (or overnight) in an airtight container in the refrigerator.½ cup Light Soy Sauce, ½ cup Rice Wine Vinegar, 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 2 teaspoon Sesame Oil, 1 teaspoon crushed Red pepper flakes or Fresh chiles such as jalapeño, serrano, or Thai “bird” chiles
Fill and Shape Pumpkins
- Divide the orange dough into 14-16 balls similar in size. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each ball out into circles about 4-4.5 inch diameter.
- Place about 2 tablespoon of pork filling in the middle of the circle and bring the edges together to make a ball surrounding the filling (traditional pleating of the bao is not necessary here).
- Tie each ball loosely with the kitchen twine like a present, by wrapping the twine around the dough ball 3 times to create 6 segments, then tie a double knot at the top. The dough will expand as it steams to create the pumpkin shape, so do not tie the bao too tight - the indentions make themselves.
- Make the stems with the green dough by pinching small balls from the dough and rolling them into small ropes about 3 inches long. Wrap each green dough rope around a toothpick.
Steaming the pumpkin shaped buns
- Fill a pot with about 2 inches of water making sure that the water is below your steamer basket and will not touch the buns throughout the steaming process.
- Place your steamer basket into the pot, then place each bun on a piece of parchment paper and into the steamer basket. It is important that the buns are not touching each other, so you may need to cook these in several batches. Place your stems flat in the steamer basket along with the buns, before the buns or after the buns, but the stems take only 50% of the cooking time that the bao take (6-7 minutes). This will be according to how much room you have, but doing the stems ahead of time is what we prefer. Steam the bao for 12-14 minutes (depending on the size of your buns), with the lid on.
- Once done, remove from the steamer and cut and remove the twine. Remove the stems from the toothpicks and use the toothpick to puncture a small hole in the top of the bun for your stem. Insert the stem for presentation and make it look the way you wish.
- Serve with the dipping sauce with the sliced green onions added to the sauce and black sesame seeds sprinkled on the bao.1 tablespoon green onion tops, Sprinkling of black sesame seeds
Nutrition
Calories: 298kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 11gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 871mgPotassium: 219mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 853IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 2mg
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