This recipe for authentic banh bao (Bánh Bao recipe) , also known as Vietnamese steaming pork buns is one my top Vietnamese recipes. It takes a bit of time to make and steam the banh bao but it’s worthwhile at the final. I walk you through each step of making this delicious dish, so that you are able to confidently make your own!
This recipe makes me think of my aunt Six. She was the only person who made me Banh Bao by hand, and boy do I love her recipe after she developed it. I’d say the Vietnamese food is an absolute love-in-the-making. It takes about two hours to cook however, the effort will be rewarded at the final. The blog article is lengthy one due to the fact that I wanted to give specific instructions about what I have found to be helpful so that you won’t make my mistakes. Please read the entire blog post, even if it is a bit long. I hope you like this meal! It’s one of my favorites.
How do you define Banh Bao (Vietnamese Steamed Pork Buns)?
Banh bao, also known as Vietnamese Steamed Buns is a food that is a mix from Vietnamese and Cantonese dishes. Cantonese immigrants brought with them items such as the bao that is the exterior of the bun as well as the Chinese sausages that are inside. It’s not all Chinese. food is Vietnamese. When I eat this meal it brings me back to my family’s past and where they are from. My grandparents came into Vietnam after a long journey from China and stayed in the country for a time before moving into the United States. It’s the melting of cultures like this that makes Vietnamese cuisine what it’s. This and other similar dishes tell the stories of many children from immigrants like mine and give me warm fuzzy feelings every time I eat it.
Ingredients, Substitutions, & Adjustments
- Ingredients for dough
- All-purpose flour I would strongly advise using AP flour to achieve the desired outcome because it contains the proper amount of protein that gives the bao the proper texture.
- Baking Powder Baking powder can help the dough expand when it’s steaming.
- Milk Warm milk helps to activate yeast and give it the tender feel. Be sure to make use of whole milk, that is not reduced-fat milk.
- instant yeast I know it’s difficult to locate yeast at the moment however it’s vital. Check to make sure whether your yeast is still alive prior to making use of it. Combine warm milk and the yeast, then allow it to stand for 10 minutes before examining it.
- neutral oil Any neutral oil will work in this recipe. I made use of vegetable oil.
- Grated sugar White sugar is used to provide the dough with a little sweetness that helps neutralize the salty flavor in the fillings. Also, there is a amount added sugar to the dough.
- Filling ingredients
- Ground Pork There are no alternatives to ground pork.
- Wood ear mushroomss – The wood ear mushrooms can typically be bought dry from Amazon as well in Asian supermarkets. An alternative to wood ear mushrooms are the shiitake mushroom or any type that is brown.
- The yellow onions sweet yellow onions is the best onion to utilize. Another option can be white onions.
- Seasonings (fish sauce sugar, oyster sauce salt, and pepper) – Fish sauce and oyster sauce are often difficult to locate. If you’re unable to locate the fish sauce, throw it out. If you’re unable to locate oyster sauce, replace it for garlic powder.
- Chinese sausage It adds an acrid taste in the bao. It is possible to leave it out if you are unable to locate it, or if you don’t like it.
- Eggs I used large eggs boiled to make this recipe. I usually use 1 egg for every bao. Another option to replace regular eggs is quail eggs.
- White vinegar White vinegar is mixed into the water used for steaming the banh bao. The vinegar gives the banh bao their distinctive white hue.
How to prepare this banh bao recipe?
I’ve provided specific instructions on how to make banh bao , with pictures for each step. The first step is to prepare the dough! Mix baking powder and flour and keep aside. Mix warm water and yeast into the bowl of a small. Leave it for 10 minutes, or until it begins to foam. After that, add your sugar and oil and mix. Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Mix until a dough that is soft is formed. Transfer the dough to an unfloured surface and then mix until it is smooth for about 10 minutes. If the dough appears too moist. After kneading the dough, it will slowly bounce back when the poke is made. If you’re looking to take the easy way There are packages of banh bao flour mix available from Asian supermarkets. Follow the directions on the label.
Fill the pastry
While the dough has been rising prepare your filling. The filling is made up of a mixture of ground pork, Chinese sausage, and eggs that have been boiled. Cut your sausages in thin slices. Boil your eggs , then cut them into four pieces. Then, make your mixture of ground pork. Combine ground pork with oyster sauce salt, fish sauce sugar, pepper minced yellow onions and chopped wood ear mushrooms. Divide the mixture into 16 circular pieces and place them aside. The purpose of this step is to ensure you have everything prepared for making your banh bao when it is finished raising (proofing).
Separating and rolling out the dough
The next step is to cut and make the dough.
- Divide the dough proofed into two pieces.
- The dough should be rolled out into a 13 inch long log. Be sure that the dough is evenly thick throughout its length.
- Slice the dough in half and divide it into two pieces. Separate each one into two pieces. Split those pieces into two pieces. You should have 8 pieces out of that chunk of dough. Repeat the process for the second portion. Keep the dough chunks wrapped in plastic so that they don’t dry out.
- Pick a small portion of the dough, and then roll it into a circle that measures approximately 4-4.5 inches across. The most effective method to accomplish this is to start from the center and move outward. Then turn the disk around to a certain extent and repeat this rolling technique. Be sure that the center is more solid then the sides.
How do you create the perfect pleats
This was the part I found the most difficult, and I needed to work on it several times before I could get the grasp of it. Don’t be discouraged when you do not succeed at the first!
- Take a piece of dough, and then hold it between your pointer finger and your thumb. Your thumb should be placed on the edge on the outside of the bag.
- Pick another portion of the dough using the other hand. I’m left-handed, and so lifted my dough from step 1 using my right hand. I then grabbed another portion of dough using my left.
- Take the piece of dough from the second part over your thumb.
- The second portion of dough in the previous portion in the dough. This is the first pleat. Repeat the process over to fill the gap until are back to the first pleat.
- Pin all pleats in the middle to secure the bao. Be sure that there are not any gaps.
- The dough should be placed on a small amount of parchment paper. This parchment should measure approximately 5×5 inches.
The banh bao is steaming
You’re now on the final stretch! Steaming your Banh Bao.
- First prepare your steamer. I used a pot for steaming. Mix 1-2 cups of vinegar and water in the pot. Bring your water up to boil. Be sure to keep the simmering temperature low so that you can maintain the simmer. Adjust and check when you are steaming your banh bao.
- Incorporate the Banh Bao into the steamer in small batches making sure there’s one inch space between Banh Baos. They will grow within the steamer, and will become stuck to one another in the event that they’re too close. I did it in groups of four. The steaming took 15 minutes.
- Repeat the process until are finished!
- You’re now ready to enjoy your meal. Phew!
Tips for making your perfect banh bao
- What happens if I do not have a warm place to prove my dough? It is essential that you have an affluent place for the dough rising. I didn’t have any place that was warm, so I turned the oven at its lowest temperature for few minutes before turning off the oven. Then, I put the dough into the oven with the door shut. Be sure your oven isn’t getting too hot If you’re doing this.
- Add oil into the bowl that you use to test your dough The addition of oil to your bowl prior to proofing is crucial since it keeps the dough from developing dry skin.
- Don’t overfill the bao The bao that is overfilled can make the dough stretch and may not seal correctly. If you need to take out portions of pork, go for it. You can leave some filling in the banh bao after filling all the banh bao. I filled some of my banh bao while trying the recipe. And the top of the bao got so thin that it broke when I tried to take them from the steamer.
- Incorporate vinegar into the water prior to steaming The addition of vinegar to the water will help to give the bao its distinctive white hue.
- The storage of the banh bao You can freeze the banh bao to enjoy at a later date. When you’re ready to enjoy banh bao, take out the banh bao, defrost them and then heat them using the microwave. Banh can also be stored in boos for later use in your freezer before you steam them.
- Heating the banh bao The best method to warm up banh bao is wrap it in a moist paper towel, then heat to a boil in the microwave, for about 30 second. A wet towel will help to rehydrate the dough since it will begin to dry while you store it in the refrigerator.
Why this recipe works
- The dough gets ample enough time for it to relax and do its magic until you’re left with an soft, smooth dough that can be kneaded.
- Making use of whole cream dairy as well as lemon juice can help the bread to remain more white.
- The addition of water chestnuts to the meatballs’ filling will give them an incredibly richer taste and an amazing crunch.
Disclosure: Should you buy something through a hyperlink on this website or through a link on this site, I could earn an amount of money from the purchase at no additional charge to the purchaser. The products I recommend are ones I personally would like to consider using. Thank you for all your help!
Other Vietnamese Pork Bánh
- Banh Cuon / Banh Uot (Steamed Rice Rolls)
- Banh Gio ( Rice & Pork “Dumplings”)
- Banh Mi – Sandwiches Pork Belly
Bánh Bao Recipe – Vietnamese Steamed Pork Buns
Equipment
- Bamboo Steamer
- Banh Bao Mix
- Wooden Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups entire milk
- One packet instant yeast
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup Sugar granulated
Banh bao Filling
- 3/4 1 lb ground pork
- 3 Tbsp wood ears mushrooms crushed
- 1/4 Yellow Onions chopped
- 2 tsp oyster sauce1 teaspoon sugar granulated
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2. Chinese sausages carefully sliced
- 4 eggs cooked, cut into 4 pieces
To steam
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
Instructions
- Make your parchment pieces of paper. Divide parchment paper in 16 pieces of 5×5 inches. Set aside.
- Create the dough. Add baking powder and flour into a bowl, and mix. Set aside
- Warm the milk to (100-110 degree F). Then add the yeast. Mix. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes or so until it begins to foam. Add sugar and vegetable oil and mix until well-combined.
- Put the wet ingredients in an enormous mixing bowl. Then add the dry items from Step 1. Mix with your hands. Once all the ingredients have come together, transfer it onto a lightly floured surface and then knead it until it is smooth for about 10 minutes. You can add more flour if the dough appears too moist. The dough is well-kneaded enough that you can poke it, and it then slowly bounces back. After that you can transfer it to an oil-coated bowl and put it over an absorbent towel. Allow it to rest in a warm location for at least an hour.
- As the dough starts in the process of rising you can prepare the rest of your ingredients. Boil the eggs and cut them into four pieces. Slice your Chinese sausages. Set aside.
- Create this pork filling. To make the pork filling, mix ground pork with wood ear mushrooms, chopped yellow onions, fish sauce oyster sauce, salt sugar, and pepper. Mix until well together. Divide the filling of pork into 16 equal round pieces and put them aside.
- After the dough has finished proofing, cut in 16 equally sized pieces. Then, roll each piece into a small circle which is 4-4.5 inches across. The edges on the outside should be less than the middle. Be sure that the center isn't too thin.
- Add 1 pork filling, one slice of Chinese sausage and 1 egg in the middle of filling. Wrap the filling around the edge of the dough. Crimp and fold the dough until it overflows with filling. Examples are shown in the images above. Put each bao onto a sheet parchment paper.
- Set up your steamer pan. Bring the water to a simmer and add a pinch in rice vinegar. Be sure to maintain an even temperature throughout this process.
- Banh bao are cooked for 15 to 17 minutes. You should ensure that there is at minimum 1 inch room between every bao because they expand.
Notes
- How do you ensure your Banh bao have been cooked In order to make sure your Banh Bao are cooked to perfection Take out one bao every 15 minutes to determine whether it’s cooked. If it’s undercooked, you can increase the cooking time until you’re sure that they’re cooked to perfection. The dimensions of your banh bao, as well as the temperatures of your steamer could alter the cooking timing of your banh bao.
- What happens if I don’t have a warm area to prove my dough? – It’s important to have a warm place for the dough rising. I didn’t have a space to proof my dough, so I turned the oven at its lowest temperature for few minutes before turning off. I then placed my dough into the oven with the door shut. Be sure your oven isn’t getting too hot when you do this.
- Add oil to the bowl you are using to test your dough The addition of oil to your bowl prior to proofing is essential since it keeps the dough from creating dry skin.
- Don’t overfill the bao Do not overfill the bao. Overfilling it can make the dough stretch and may not seal correctly. If you must remove part of your pork-filled bao, you can do it. It’s fine to keep some leftover filling after filling all the banh bao. I filled up a few of my banh bao when I was testing the recipe. The inside of the bao was thin enough that it split when I tried to take them from the steamer.
- Incorporate vinegar into your water prior to steaming The addition of vinegar to the water will help to give the bao its distinctive white hue.
- The storage of the banh bao You can freeze the banh bao to enjoy later. When you’re ready to enjoy they, you can pull out the banh bao, defrost them and heat them up by heating them in the microwave. Banh can also be stored in boos for later use in your freezer and pre-steam them.
- The bao can be reheated The best method to heat up the banh bao is cover it with a damp paper towel, then heat to a boil in the microwave, for about 30 second. The addition of a damp towel can help in rehydrating the dough as it begins to dry out while you keep it in the refrigerator.
