Bao 101: All About Steamed Buns in Henderson:
2024.11.29
by Angie Lei
Chinese Cuisine
Pillowy soft steamed buns with tender slightly sweet barbecued pork. Barbecue Pork Bao is one of the most popular types of Bao. However, bao is a versatile dish allows for almost any stuffing. The term Bao Zi (包子) refers to steamed buns. They are often served at Chinese restaurants, most commonly at Dim Sum restaurants.
Although the origin of Bao is unclear, it is said it was created during the Three Kingdoms period. The legend goes Zhuge Liang, the greatest strategist of the time, needed to sacrifice animals to the river god. However, the local people did not have enough animals. He then ordered them to shape the bao into a round form, using the bao as a replacement for the animal sacrifices. While the legend is not fact, bao zi was most likely used in the military due to its portability.
Bao in its simplest form is flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk, and oil. Combining these ingredients creates a milky white, soft, and pillowy bun. This is called a Mantou (馒头), in its base form, mantou does not have a distinct flavor. However, it shines best when paired with sauces like sweetened condensed milk, or my favorite way, with rice porridge. Rather than mantou, most people think of buns with fillings when bao is mentioned.
With its centuries of history, many iterations of bao have been created, savory or sweet. Here are some examples of Bao:
Char Siu Bao (叉燒包):
The most popular type of bao. They are filled with char siu (Cantonese barbecued pork).
Xiao Long Bao (小籠包):
A unique type of bao is characterized by its thin wrapper, meaty filling, and soup inside the dumpling.
Shengjian Bao (生煎包):
A pan-fried bao; it is known for its crispy bottom and juicy filling.
Custard Bao (奶黄包, nǎi huáng bāo):
A dessert bao filled with a sweet, creamy egg custard.
While you most likely won’t find all these bao in one restaurant, Char Siu Bao and Custard Bao are commonly found in Dim Sum restaurants. Nowadays Xiao Long Bao specialty restaurants have been becoming normalized. However, some Dim Sum restaurants might have them. Shengjian Bao is a bit harder to find, however, Chinese restaurants which lean more towards Shanghai cuisine are more likely to have them.
I hope you visit a Chinese restaurant and eat some bao soon!
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