Recipes
Bao (or Gua Bao)
Soft steamed buns with a white and shiny surface, stuffed with meat or vegetable fillings: here is a brief description of gua bao.
When we talk about Chinese cuisine it is difficult to distinguish between reality and contamination, where this term refers to all those recipes that have nothing to do with traditional cuisine, but were born in the West and shaped to satisfy our tastes. The bao is a steamed bun stuffed with pork, duck or vegetables.
Soft, almost rubbery, and with a smooth and shiny surface , it has nothing to do with the bread we are used to. However, it has become famous as street food precisely because of its almost elegant appearance. It belongs to the category of dim sum , that is, the whole series of small appetizers that characterize Chinese cuisine and preparing them at home is quite simple.

Preparation
How to make bao recipe
First, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl: flour , yeast , salt and sugar and give a quick mix. However, if you use fresh yeast (12 g), dissolve it in the water first.
Then pour in the water and start kneading with a spoon. As soon as the dough begins to take consistency, add the oil and continue to work it, transferring it to the pastry board as soon as possible. You should obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.
Wash the bowl, oil it and leave the dough to rise covered with cling film until it has doubled in volume. It will take 2-3 hours .
Once it has risen, transfer it to a pastry board and cut out 50 g portions . Form balls and leave them to rise again on a baking tray lined with baking paper for 30 minutes.
Now roll them out one by one, giving them an oval shape , well elongated. Approximately they should be 6×12 cm. Then cut as many squares (7×7 cm) of baking paper as your rolls. Fold the sandwiches in half, placing the baking paper so that they do not stick during cooking.
As they are ready, place them in the steaming basket . If you use a bamboo one, cover the base with perforated baking paper, if you use steel it is sufficient to oil it or use cabbage leaves.
Bring a pan with 3 inches of water to the boil, then place the basket and steam for 15 minutes . Serve them hot or warm with a filling of your choice (we'll give you some tips below).
Here is a short video of a recipe similar to ours with all the steps to make them.
As for the fillings you are spoiled for choice. Try them with chicken in sweet and sour sauce , with kung pao chicken , with sweet and sour pork or with a combination of fresher flavors such as avocado, salmon, cucumber and mayonnaise.
Do you love Chinese recipes and want to experiment with other recipes with the steamer? You absolutely must try the steamed ravioli !
Conservation
Bao buns will keep for a couple of days in a plastic bag. However, we advise you to heat them briefly before filling them.
Types of bao
- Cha siu baau : barbecued pork stuffing;
- Caibao : stuffed with vegetables;
- Rou jia bao : literally meat in the bun
- Hu yao shi : "the tiger that bites the lion", typical of the Chinese city of Quanzhou, where they are prepared to celebrate the engagement of daughters
- Hu yao zhu : “the tiger that bites the pig”, consumed in Taiwan to celebrate the end of the lunar year and bring good luck for the new year;
- Lingyoong bau : filled with sweetened lotus seed cream (light brown in color);
- Naihuangbao : filled with a custard-like cream;
- Doushabao : Filled with azuki bean jam .
Origin and history
Bao, often mistakenly called baozi (these buns, always steamed, are closed in a bundle and not opened like ours) were born in the Chinese province of Fujian and then spread to Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore.
There are several theories regarding their origin. The first refers to their name, the literal meaning of which is "barbarian head" . Born at the hands of the prime minister and military strategist of the Shu dynasty, Zhuge Liang, they had the aim on the one hand of feeding the troops, and on the other hand to deceive with these head-shaped sandwiches the superstition of the monks who requested the sacrifice of 49 men .
The second however says that they were invented in Sichuan to make the emperor administer medical herbs without him realizing it.
Beyond history and legend, gua baos have chef David Chang to thank for their comeback. Served with the legendary pulled pork they are a real delight. What conquers above all is the particular combination between the light sweetness of the dough (due to the sugar) and the flavor of the fillings.
One last curiosity: in 2018 Disney dedicated a short film to the Baos.
Riproduzione riservata © - WT
