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Bapao, small steamed buns filled with spicy pork

Bapao, small steamed buns filled with spicy pork

Snacks

Small steamed buns filled with a savory-sweet pork filling: hoisin, soy sauce, honey, and five-spice, perfect for a snack or a casual gathering.

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Recipe from MediaWiki default, Mahjon99, adapted by Recette de cuisine ·

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The bapao is a small steamed bun filled with various ingredients, which is very popular in Asia and can be easily made at home.

Ingredients and directions

  • Prep time1 hr
  • Cook time20 min
  • Resting50 min
  • Total2 hr 10 min
  • DifficultyMedium
  • CostBudget
  • Cooking methodSteaming
  • Estimated cost$6.52 $1.09 / serving Estimated price; varies by store. Converted from euros at the ECB rate of October 14, 2026.

Ingredients

6 people

Dough

  • $0.01
  • $0.10
  • $0.60

Farce

  • $3.81
  • $0.21
  • $0.63
  • $0.18
  • $0.13
  • $0.35
  • $0.50

Prices from US supermarkets for 5 of 10 ingredients; Belgian prices for the rest.

Directions

  1. Peel the onion and the new onions, then finely chop them. ≈ 8 min
  2. Peel the garlic and mash it. ≈ 8 min
  3. Prepare the dough: mix the warm water with the yeast. ≈ 4 min
  4. Add the sugar and oil. ≈ 3 min
  5. Incorporate the yeast preparation into the flour using a fork, until all the liquid is absorbed. ≈ 4 min
  6. Knead by hand until a smooth dough is formed. ≈ 10 min
  7. Form a ball, wrap it in a cotton cloth, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: brown the ground pork with the onion in a little oil.
  9. Use a wooden spoon to crush the larger pieces and create a smooth mixture. ≈ 4 min
  10. Add the new onions and garlic, and brown the meat with them.
  11. After about 10 minutes, add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, mirin, and five-spice powder.
  12. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
  13. Cut out squares, approximately 6 cm in size, from the parchment paper and set them aside. ≈ 3 min
  14. Divide the dough into 18 equal balls, weighing each one: each should weigh 33g. ≈ 10 min
  15. Flatten each ball into a soft disc. ≈ 10 min
  16. Use very little flour: the dough doesn’t stick much. ≈ 3 min
  17. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each disc. ≈ 3 min
  18. Fold the four edges inwards, one on top of the other, to ensure a secure closure. ≈ 3 min
  19. Turn the ball over so that the seams are on the bottom, then shape it into a round ball. ≈ 10 min
  20. It is not necessary to use water or oil to weld the paste. ≈ 3 min
  21. Place each ball on a square of parchment paper and let it rise for 20 minutes in a warm place.
  22. Fill a saucepan halfway with water, ensuring that the diameter of the saucepan matches the size of the steamer basket, and bring it to a boil.
  23. Arrange the bao buns in the baskets, spacing them out: they will expand as they cook. ≈ 3 min
  24. Place the baskets on top of the saucepan, reduce the heat slightly, and let it steam.
  25. After about 20 minutes, the bao buns are cooked: they are larger and shinier.
  26. Please be aware that the steam is very hot.
  27. Let it cool slightly before serving.

The bill

Bapao, small steamed buns filled with spicy pork

  • 1 tablespoon of sugar$0.01
  • 2 tablespoons of peanut oil or sunflower oil$0.10
  • 375 g of bapao flour (or all-purpose wheat flour)$0.60
  • 400 g of ground pork$3.81
  • 1 onion$0.21
  • 3 new onions$0.63
  • 2 cloves of garlic$0.18
  • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce$0.13
  • 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce$0.35
  • 2 tablespoons of honey$0.50

Total$6.52

that's $1.09 per person

Estimated price; varies by store.

Equipment

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Before you start

Ingredients

  • 175 ml of warm water
  • 7 grams of dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of peanut oil or sunflower oil
  • 375 g of bapao flour (or all-purpose wheat flour)
  • 400 g of ground pork
  • 1 onion
  • 3 new onions
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • 1 tablespoon of five-spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon of mirin

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