Vegan Steamed Pork Buns / Char Siu Bao
Soft, fluffy steamed buns with a delicious meaty interior. A vegan version of the traditional char siu bao, using a juicy roast “pork” filling made of jackfruit.
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dim Sum
- Method: Steam
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
Scale
Char Siu Jackfruit
- 1 20 oz can green jackfruit, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- ¼ tsp five-spice powder, optional
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Filling Sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- half a medium onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
Wrapper
- 255g (2 + 1/8 cup) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 45g cornstarch (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- pinch of salt
- 160 ml (a little less than 3/4 cup) water at room temperature
Instructions
- To make filling: pat jackfruit pieces dry and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Add to a large bowl along with marinade ingredients and mix to combine. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 400F. Spread out marinated jackfruit pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are browned and crispy, flipping halfway. Should result in around 1 1/2 cup baked jackfruit.
- Whisk cornstarch in 1/2 cup water to dissolve. In a small saucepan, heat oil over high heat and sauté onion until translucent, for about a minute. Reduce to low heat and add in the cornstarch slurry, soy sauces, maple syrup, hoisin sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, and sesame oil, cooking until sauce is bubbling and thickened. Remove pan from heat and stir in the jackfruit pieces, mixing to combine. Place filling in fridge to cool.
- To make dough, add flour, cornstarch, sugar, and instant yeast to a mixing bowl or stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Add water and oil and mix until dough comes together, about 5 minutes. (If kneading by hand, knead for at least 10 additional minutes, until dough is smooth and supple and no longer sticky.) Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes before shaping.
- To assemble buns: divide proofed dough into 12 portions. Re-knead each portion, flatten with your palm, and use a rolling pin to roll each portion out into a 4-5 inch diameter circle. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the jackfruit filling in the center, and starting at one edge of the circle, pinch folds in a twisting counter-clockwise motion towards the center to enclose the filling, pinching tight to seal. Stand the bun on the table, cup it in both palms and move it in a circular motion to shape it taller. Repeat with the other portions and arrange buns in the steamer on pieces of parchment paper. Cover the lid and rest for 20 minute to rise.
- Start the stove and bring water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and steam the buns for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5 more minutes to rest (this is important– a sudden change in temperature might wrinkle the buns). Remove from steamer and enjoy!
Notes
- If you have cake flour on hand, use it instead of the all-purpose flour + cornstarch (2.5 cups total). Cake flour results in the fluffiest texture for the buns.
- *If it’s a cold day, heat water in the steamer first (only for a few minutes, don’t bring it to boiling), and place the buns to proof over the warm water instead of at room temperature.
Find it online: https://theplantbasedwok.com/vegan-char-siu-bao/