Soft, fluffy Steamed Pork Buns (Sang Yoke Bao) filled with ground pork and braised preserved mustard. Delicious served with chili crisp.
I only started eating Steamed Pork Buns (Sang Yoke Bao) with ground pork filling after we moved to Wyoming. This is because there is a Taiwanese kiosk in Cheyenne that makes and sells these freshly steamed buns. Isn’t it amazing that we are in the middle of a fairly remote location and we can buy these baos when we go to town?
In Malaysia, Char Siu Bao is “king”, followed closely by Tau Sar Bao which is a sweet steamed bun with red bean paste filling. As such, Sang Yoke Bao is seldom, if ever talked about. Not all restaurants or coffee shops in Malaysia sell these baos because they are seldom requested.
The Filling For Steamed Pork Buns (Sang Yoke Bao)
The filling for Steamed Pork Buns (Sang Yoke Bao) are not precooked like Char Siu Bao. Hence, the word sang yoke which means fresh meat in Cantonese. This kind of bao is popular in Northern and Central China but not so much in Malaysia. I only got to know of this kind of bao because my paternal grandfather liked it.
To give the ground pork more flavor, I decided to mix it with braised preserved mustard and green onions. I braised the preserved mustard separately on the stove before mixing it with the ground pork. Then I divided it into 20 equal portions for 20 steamed buns. Since uncooked ground pork holds together into a ball, it makes wrapping the dough around it a little easier.
The baos also look fuller because of the ball of ground pork filling on the inside.
The Pleating
The term “Practice makes perfect!” is certainly true when it comes to cooking. When I first started making steamed baos, the pleating was quite challenging. The dough was a little soft and so harder to handle. As such, I have improved on the dough to make it a little firmer and easier to pleat. Hence, my bao pleating skill has also improved. The pleats are now much longer and more pronounced. Although they are far from perfect, they definitely look a lot better than when I first started.
Similar Products Used in Making These Steamed Pork Buns (Sang Yoke Bao)
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.
Mason Cash Chip Resistant Earthenware Mixing Bowl
2 Piece Stainless Steel Stack and Steam Pot Set
18/8 Stainless Steel 11 inch Steamer Pot with Lid, 2-tier
Sang Yoke Bao (Steamed Pork Buns)
Ingredients
Dough
- 1¼ cup lukewarm water (about 110°F/43°C) (300ml)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2¼ tsp dry yeast granules
- 3¾ cups bao flour / all-purpose flour (500g)
- 2 tbsp powdered / icing sugar
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 20 pieces 2-in x 2-in parchment paper
Filling
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 5 oz preserved salted mustard (soaked for 4 to 6 hours) (140g)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 cup water (240ml)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 lbs pork shoulder (cut into big chunks) (900g)
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 green onions (thinly sliced)
Instructions
Dough
- Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a measuring cup or bowl. Stir with a spoon to mix and allow yeast granules to dissolve, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Place bao flour/all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Add powdered/icing sugar and stir to combine. Make a well in the center of the bao flour.
- Pour proofed yeast mixture into the well of the bao flour. Stir and mix with a spatula. Also, give it a quick knead to bring the dough together.
- Add vegetable oil and continue mixing to form a dough ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, continue to knead the dough until it is smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in a warm place for about 1¼ hours or until double in size.
Filling
- Drain preserved salted mustard. Cut into thin strips and chopped.
- Heat vegetable oil in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Saute garlic for 20 seconds. Stir in prepared preserved mustard and dark soy sauce.
- Add water, stir, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Add sugar, stir, cover, and cook until almost all liquid is absorbed. This will take about 20 minutes. Allow cooked salted mustard to cool.
- Place pork shoulder in a food processor. Add salt, ground pepper, and sesame oil. Turn on food processor to process the meat.
- Transfer meat to a large bowl. Add cooked salted mustard and green onions. Stir with a spoon until well mixed.
- Divide filling into 20 equal portions.
Preparing Dough Wrappers
- When dough has more or less doubled in size, remove the plastic and gently gather and flip the dough.
- Sprinkle baking powder all over the dough. Knead until all baking powder is incorporated.
- Remove dough from bowl and continue to knead on a lightly floured surface for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Roll dough into a longish shape and divide it into two.
- Roll a portion of the dough into a long cylinder and tear into 10 equal pieces. Place the pieces of dough into the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic to prevent them from drying. Do the same for the other portion of dough.
Wrapping Baos
- Shape a piece of dough into a ball. Then, flatten it into a disk. Using a small rolling pin, roll out the edges to form a wrapper of about 4 inches in diameter with a slightly thicker center and tapered edges.
- Place the dough wrapper on your palm and a rounded tablespoon of filling in the middle of wrapper. Gather and pleat the edges with your thumb and index finger.
- Then twist and pinch to seal.
- Place seam side up onto a piece of prepared parchment paper in a steaming rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Do not crowd the rack with too many baos as they will expand during steaming.
Steaming the Baos
- Place steaming rack over a pot of cold water on the stove. If you are using a metal rack and lid, place a towel over the rack. Omit towel if you are using a bamboo rack. Cover with lid and turn on the stove over medium high heat.
- When water comes to a rapid boil, allow the baos to steam for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the stove. Wait for 5 minutes before opening the lid and removing the steamed baos.
- Steam in batches if necessary.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving Suggestion
This hot, steaming Sang Yoke Bao is delicious served with chili crisp which is another very Northern and Central Chinese condiment. This chili crisp is slightly different from the Cantonese chili oil, in that it has a distinct mala sensation of Sichuan pepper/Chinese prickly ash. I will make this chili crisp one day but for now, I simply buy a jar from the store. Surprisingly, I can get it from my local Walmart at a reasonable price.
Leave a Reply