The “Baozi” is a type of steamed bread similar to the “Mantou,” but the main difference is that it is filled with different ingredients. Both vegetarian and meat fillings are used. They are common in various Asian countries. In the northern part, baozi is considered one of the staple foods, just like mantou.

However, in the western and southern parts of China, baozi is commonly served as breakfast or dim sum, meaning sometime between morning and the early afternoon.

Some types of Baozi

In Shanghai, there are two options: the Xiaolongbao: Shanghai Baozi (which is a steamed dumpling filled with meat). The dough is genuinely thin and transparent.

Another representative from Shanghai is the pan-fried baozi, which is very popular in Shanghai and Zhejiang Province. Its crunchy texture, salty meat, and rich sauce make it one of the most popular snacks in the whole country. The baozi is fried until completely golden and crispy, topped with toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onions. They are great.

In Cantonese cuisine, you find the cha siu. The Cha siu baau has Char siu as a filling (a Chinese barbecued pork). It is also known as roast pork buns or Cha siu baau.

The flavor of this one is different from the common baozi in northern China. The dough is thicker, tastes like bread with a savory yet sweet filling. It looks like a cracked steamed bun. But the cracked shape helps emit the aroma of the roast meat.

Goubuli is a famous Baozi brand located in the city of Tianjin. There is a saying that if you have never eaten Goubuli baozi, you have never visited Tianjin. Goubuli is considered one of the three main foods of Tianjin.

With more than 150 years of history, Goubuli baozi has its unique ways of making the filling, rolling, and folding methods. It is said that each Goubuli baozi has 18 folds.

baozi

Chengdu's pork baozi is characterized by its unique filling. Fresh pork with fat is minced and then mixed with fried pork cubes. Then, Sichuan pepper, ginger sauce, chicken broth, and wine are used to flavor the meat filling.

In addition to the local representatives from different areas, there are also some outstanding types of baozi that are truly worth noting:

  • Tang bao, this is a Chinese cuisine preparation. It consists of a soup served as a filling inside a typical Jingjiang baozi.
  • And Red Bean Baozi generally has a sweet flavor.
  • Sugar Baozi, which uses pure sugar as a filling.
  • Tofu Baozi for vegetarians filled with tofu.

We leave you with a Baozi recipe in one of its vegan versions. Let's cook!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil for brushing

For the dough

  • 300 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 160 g water

For the fillings

  • 250 g ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon chopped spring onion
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon peanut or sunflower oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce

Step by step

Dough

  1. Prepare lukewarm water around 35°C (95°F). Mix the yeast with the water. Mix well and set aside for about 5 minutes. If you do not want sugar, simply do not add it.
  2. Put the flour in a large bowl. Slowly pour the yeast water into the bowl with the flour and stir with a spoon.
  3. Then knead the mixture for about 10 minutes until a smooth dough is obtained. At first, it may be a little sticky.
  4. Cover the container and let the dough rest for approximately 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size. This process can be done with a stand mixer.
  5. When the dough is double in size, flatten the ball and remove the air from the dough; it is important that this type of dough does not have gas bubbles.
  6. Then stretch the dough with your hands, forming a long rope about 3 cm (1.2 inches) in diameter or the size you desire.
  7. Distribute a little flour on the work surface and cut the rope into small sections about 3 cm long.
  8. Make small balls with the pieces and let them rest.

Filling

  1. Heat the cooking oil in the pan. Sauté ginger and garlic until they release their aroma.
  2. Add the pork and brown it, add the chopped spring onions.
  3. In a corner of the pan, reduce the soy sauce, and then mix everything together and set aside.

Baozi Assembly

  1. Stretch a small ball to form a disk, put a tablespoon of the filling and close the baozi one by one, making the folds. Repeat the procedure with all of them.
  2. Brush a little oil on the bottom of each baozi, and place it in the steamer.
  3. Heat the water in the wok, place the bamboo steamer on top, and start boiling. Count at least 15 minutes after the water in the wok starts to boil and remove.

Notes

When lifting the steamer lid, do it quickly and do not allow water to fall onto the surface of the baozi.