Pan-fried Pork Buns (Shengjian Bao 生煎包)

Wondering if these are steamed buns, not pan-fried buns? They are pan-fried buns (also known as shengjianbao 生煎包). Not joking, it’s real.

Back then when I was up to make these buns and planned to post the recipe on my Chinese food blog, just in time I remembered that some fans had asked me how to wrap and pleat a bun. So I took a video while I did the pleating of a bun. Then I cooked the buns in a frying pan instead of a steamer.

The shengjianbao I tried before in a shanghainese restaurant were round and flat without any pleatings, that looked quite different from mine posted here. Since then, I’ve seen more and more of these pleated buns being served in restaurants. The buns are lined up in a nice and hot oily pan and cooked until the bottoms are very crispy. You might also like to sprinkle some finely chopped spring onions and white sesame seeds on top for garnish. That will make your buns look more attractive.

The texture of these buns is soft and fluffy with a crispy bottom. I like to dip them in some soy sauce with black rice vinegar, whereas my husband likes to have them with extra chilli sauce. Whichever sauce you try, it won’t let you down. The buns taste very delicious on their own though.

Pan-fried Pork Buns (Shengjian Bao 生煎包) Recipe (Printable recipe)
By Christine’s Recipes
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Yield: 8 to 10 buns

Ingredients:

• 200 gm plain flour
• 110 gm water
• ½ tsp instant dry yeast
• 1½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp oil

Fillings:

• 200 gm pork mince
• 100 gm chives, finely chopped

Seasonings:

• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp corn flour / corn starch
• ½ tsp chicken powder
• 2 tsp water
• pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste

Method:

1. To prepare the fillings: Mix the pork mince with the seasonings. Stir towards only one direction. Add chives. Cover and chill in fridge for about 30 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, pour in water. Mix in yeast. Add sugar, salt and oil. Sift in flour. Use a spatula to combine all the ingredients. Knead into a smooth dough and the surface is not sticky. Transfer into a greased bowl, covered. Rest for 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough onto a clean surface. Roll it into a long tube. Cut into 8 to 10 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball shape. Flatten with your palm and roll each into a disc with a rolling pin. Wrap a spoonful filling inside, pinch the seam as the video shown below. Repeat this step to finish all the remaining dough disc. Cover and rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
4. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the buns in one single layer. Fry them for about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in boiling water, up to 1½cm in depth. (Remark: Cook in batches if your pan is not large enough.) Cover and cook until the water starts to dry up. Remove the lid and continue to cook until the bottom of buns are golden brown. Serve immediately.

Notes：

• You can replace with any vegetables you like, or skip it, only use meat.
• It’s no need to blanch the chives. Simply chop them finely and mix well with the pork. By doing so, the nutrients and all flavours are retained. It’s a great found by a lazy person, myself.