Intro:
When it comes to cooking Baozi there are two ways to go about this, firstly the more traditional way of simply steaming them or as i prefer to pan fry first then steam to get the Baozi a crispy golden base. The key elements to a good Bao is that they have to be ultra soft and bouncy with a deliciously fragrant juicy filling. For this recipe we are going to fill the Baos with chicken, however, the options are endless. With all that said let’s make some Baos!
Method
Filling:
1. Before we get into making the Bao dough i find it easier to start with the filling first. Start by slicing 1 leek into a small dice, mince 4 garlic cloves, mince 10g ginger and finely slice 1/2 bunch of spring onions. Now place a wok or pan onto a medium heat and add a drizzle of oil. When hot add the chopped leek, garlic, ginger and spring onion and fry for 5-10 minutes or until nice and golden brown. Take the vegetables quite far when frying as we want a deep caramalised flavour here. When golden, remove from the heat and set to one side to cool and this mix will form the base flavour to the filling.
2. Now onto the rest of the filling, as for the chicken I was after some texture, therefore, I went with chicken thighs, however, you could use chicken breast mince also. Remove the skin from approximately 8 chicken thighs then remove the thigh bone. Slice into strips then into a dice and finish by running over with a knife and lightly mince. When ready add to a large mixing bowl along with 3 tbsps oyster sauce, 2 tbsp light soy, 2 tbsps dark soy, 1 tbsp sesame oil, salt, black pepper, 2-3 tbsp of pre made chicken stock and finally the caramalised vegetables fried earlier. Mix well and the filling is ready and we are looking for a filling that is neither too dry but not wet. Cover the filling and store in the fridge for now.
Bao Wrappers:
3. Time to move onto making the Bao dough. In a small jug add 300g of warm water then to the warm water add 7g of dried yeast and 4g of white sugar. Mix well and leave for 10 or so minutes to give the yeast time to activate. When ready the water should have begun to foam. Next, in a large mixing bowl add 600g of all purpose flour and 20g of softened butter then add all of the yeast mixture. Mix with a pair of chopsticks or spatula until the dough becomes dryer and more manageable. When ready begin knead the dough by hand until a cohesive ball of dough is formed. Continue to knead the dough by hand for a further 10 minutes until a smooth ish ball of dough is formed. When ready lightly grease the mixing bowl, cover the dough with clingfilm and allow to prove in a humid area for 1 hour 30 minutes.
4. After 90 minutes of proving the dough should have now doubled in size and ready to transform into wrappers. Briefly punch the dough to remove of any unwanted air then place the dough onto a worktop. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes or until nice and smooth then begin to roll out the dough into two equal sized logs of dough. Divide the dough into 16 equal sized pieces then lightly dust with flour to prevent them from sticking. Cover with clingfilm to prevent them from drying and pull out the filling made earlier and we are now ready to make up the baos.
5. Now to build some Baos, take one piece of dough then flatten with your palm to form a flat disk. When flat use a small rolling pin to roll out the dough starting from the centre to the rim whilst rotating the dough with your off hand to form a larger disk of dough. What this will do is create a thicker centre in the dough which will help support the filling. When the becomes slightly larger than your palm add 1 generous tbsp of filling into the centre of the dough. Now again using your off hand pleat the dough together using your index finger and thumb to form tight pleats whilst rotating the dough until sealed. This may seem fairly complex and you may need some practice at pleating, however, as long as the filling is sealed it does not really matter how you pleat the dough at this point. When sealed place the bao onto a tray and repeat this process for the rest of the wrappers and filling. When all folded, cover the dough and allow to prove for a final 20-30 minutes.
6. Now that the Baos are rolled and finished their final prove it’s now time to cook. These can either be steamed in ordinary steamer fashion or pan fried first then steamed. Naturally i’m after a bit of texture, therefore, were going to steam. Place a large flat pan onto a medium to high heat then add a generous amount of cooking oil. When hot add the Baos flat side down then fry until the base becomes a deep golden brown. When golden, add enough water to cover the Baos up to a 1/4 of the way deep then place a tight fitting lid over the top. Cook the Baos for 20 minutes or so (size depending) on a high heat until all of the water is evaportated. When ready keep the lid over the pan and allow the Baos to sit for 5 minutes and all thats left is to serve these dudes up!
7. To serve I like to place all of the fired Baos onto a serving plate and top with some toased sesame, sliced spring onions and serve with a chilli oil dipping sauce on the side. I hope you like this recipe and have fun making Baos!
Additional notes
As said earlier in this recipe chicken is just a start when it comes to fillings, ground pork, shrimp, beef or various minced vegetables or tofu would also work perfectly. The secrets to making good Baos is a good prove time and a filling that is neither too wet or dry. Have fun and peace as always!
Hope you all enjoy this one nice and easy!
Ingredients
To make 16 Baos
Prep Time: 1hr
Prove Time: 1.5hrs
Cook Time: 20mins
Filling:
- 8 chicken thighs
- 1 leek
- 1/2 bunch spring onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 10g ginger
- 3 tbsps oyster sauce
- 2 tbsps light soy
- 2 tbsps dark soy
- 1 tbsps sesame oil
- salt
- pepper
- 2-3 tbsps chicken stock
- 600g all purpose flour
- 300g warm water
- 4g white sugar
- 7g instant fried yeast
- 20g softened butter
- Spring onions
- Chilli oil
- toasted sesame seeds
