Baozi or bao with Char Siu and Delicious Nectarine and Sriracha Glaze
Baozi and Char Siu with Nectarine and Sriracha Glaze. I first tried Baozi when I was 14 or 15 in Chicago’s Chinatown. I was very lucky to accompany my neighbor’s family after church. I wouldn’t eat most of the items on the dim sum cart, but I loved Char Siu Bao or Baozi. We ate them with the green rooster sauce, which was sriracha. This was in the early 80’s way before the hipsters thought they discovered something new and cool. I might not make the most beautiful bun but they are delicious. The Nectarine and Srirach glaze or sauce is something I came up with that really works well with pork. If you want to try them before you make them, some Asian grocery stores sell them in the frozen section.
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What is Char Siu?
Char Siu is a type of Chinese barbecue pork that is popular in Cantonese cuisine. It is made by marinating pork (usually pork shoulder or pork belly) in a mixture of honey, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder, and other seasonings, and then roasting or grilling it until it is tender and caramelized on the outside. It is often served as a main dish, but can also be used as a topping for congee or as an ingredient in other dishes such as fried rice or noodles.
Joke of the Day!
“Why did the carrot break up with the potato? It could not handle the couch-potato lifestyle!”
Sweet Steamed Buns
The dough for Baozi is a very simple sweet dough. It is sweetened by adding sugar, but you do not have to add the sugar if you do not what it. You can make this dough from scratch from my recipe below, or you can buy the mix in an Asian grocery store. I will attach a simple video in the recipe of me making Baozi. I am not going to win any awards on style, but they taste great. If you make the pork ahead of time, the dough only needs an hour or two to rise. You can use any type of steamer you like but put wax paper on the bottom, because they can be sticky.
What is Baozi
Baozi is a type of Chinese steamed bun. It is made from wheat flour and typically filled with meat or vegetables. The dough is usually steamed and can be served as a savory or sweet dish. Baozi is a popular street food in China and is also commonly found in Chinese restaurants during Dim Sum. Dim sum is a traditional Chinese cuisine that features small bite-sized dishes served in steamer baskets or on small plates. These dishes are typically made with a variety of ingredients such as meat, seafood, and vegetables, and are often served with tea. Some popular dim sum items include steamed dumplings, baozi, and rice noodle rolls. It is often served in Cantonese restaurants as a brunch or breakfast meal, with carts being pushed around for customers to pick their selections.
Ingredient of the Day-Hoisin Sauce
Hoisin sauce is a thick, reddish-brown sauce that is commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It is made from a mixture of soybeans, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and various spices. It is often used as a marinade or dipping sauce, and is a popular ingredient in dishes such as Peking duck, moo shu pork, and stir-fries. It has a sweet and savory flavor with a hint of spiciness.
Baozi stuffed with Char Siu and Nectarine and Sriracha Sauce
Equipment
- 1 roasting pan if cooked in oven
- 1 grill
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 bamboo steamer any steamer
- wax paper
Ingredients
Pork Marinade
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar Mirin
- 2 tsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1-2 tsp honey or sugar
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- 2-5 drops red food coloring You do not need this
- 2 lbs port butt pork shoulder
Nectarine and Sriracha Sauce
- 2 whole nectarines peeled and cubed
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 tsp ginger chopped
- 1 tbsp onion
- 1 tbsp sugar or honey
- 1 ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar mirin
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp sriracha
Bao or Sweet Dough
- 2½ cups sifted all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
Pork Char Siu Marinade
- add all ingredient except pork and mix¼ cup soy sauce, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp fresh ginger, 2 tsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp hoisin sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1-2 tsp honey or sugar, 1 tsp five spice powder, 2-5 drops red food coloring
- cut pork into large sections about 1 to 1.5 inches thick and pierce with fork.2 lbs port butt
- add pork to marinade and refrigerate overnight in bowl or bag
- remove from refrigerator and drain pork
- grill or roast in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or done. It really depends on the size of pork.
- let cool to room temp and slice
Nectarine and Sriracha sauce
- puree all ingredients in blender, hand mixer or food processor2 whole nectarines peeled and cubed, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 clove garlic chopped, 1 tsp ginger chopped, 1 tbsp onion, 1 tbsp sugar or honey, 1 ½ tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp hoisin sauce, 2 tbsp sriracha
- add to sauce pan and simmer for 5 minutes and cool
Bao or Sweet Dough
- add water to wok or steamer and heat up water
- dissolve yeast in warm water2 tsp yeast, 1 cup warm water
- add yeast and water to the rest of the dry ingredients2½ cups sifted all purpose flour, ¼ cup sugar, 2 tsp canola oil
- knead for 5 minutes
- cover in a grease bowl for 1-2 hours
- roll out dough and shape into 6 inch discs as in video. Note the center should be thicker!
- fill with pork and fold close like in video
- place a small piece of wax paper under each dough ball
- steam bao or sweet buns for 10- 15 minutes
- remove and serve with sauce