Fluffy and flavorful Steamed Chinese BBQ Pork Buns are a delicious dim-sum-style Asian treat, any night of the week! 

Try them with Simple Asian Slaw for a fabulous Weekday Gourmand’s Meal Planner dinner!

These divine Steamed Chinese BBQ Pork Buns are served as a choice of entree on the third day of the World Tour Week’s menu.

My Steamed Chinese BBQ Pork Buns are paired with a Simple Asian Slaw recipe that uses fresh pre-prepared vegetables and a bottled dressing.  It’s as easy as slicing some purple cabbage and onions and tossing everything together to chill.

What’s the other choice for Wednesday night’s Weekday Gourmand’s Meal Planner menu? 

 

PAN FRIED CHINESE BBQ PORK DUMPLINGS!

Stuffed with flavorful Chinese BBQ Pork, then steamed and pan-fried into crispy, sesame-seed coated bites of pure Asian delight! 

 

BUT WHERE DID THE CHINESE BBQ PORK COME FROM?

On the first night of the Weekday Gourmand’s Meal Planner – World Tour Week menus you’ll serve:

Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork, Rice w/Green Onions & Almonds, Roasted Asian Broccoli

 

Crispy and glazed with a fabulous homemade Asian sauce, Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork is absolutely mouth-watering good!  The recipe has been modified to make it weeknight friendly for my Weekday Gourmand’s Meal Planner.

I’ve shared a picture of the entire Monday night dinner plate with you below.

Keep reading to see what’s on the rest of the World Tour Week’s menu.  If you’re serious about eating fabulous dinners all week long, then you’ll love my Weekday Gourmand’s Menu Planner Series.

 

STEAMED CHINESE BBQ PORK BUNS

No, to answer the burning questions ringing in your head, bao buns are not usually a weeknight dinner choice. But, I’ve figured out a way to do it anyway, the Weekday Gourmand Meal Planner way!

Wanting to give you a choice of how to use your leftover Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork, I put on my thinking cap!  I’ve used an overnight-rising method for yeast doughs in the past, so I thought, why not?

 

 

I’ve included “next night’s dinner” prompts in my Weekday Gourmand Meal Planner PDF to make sure every night’s meals are a breeze!  You’ll be prepping the bao bun dough the night before and tucking it into the refrigerator until you’re ready to go.

What resulted were wonderfully fluffy and tender bao buns that are addictive from the very first bite!

You’ll be doctoring up the Chinese pork with some crunchy water chestnuts and any leftover Roasted Asian Broccoli you have left.  It makes an incredible filling for these dumplings and bao buns!

 

DOWN AND DIRTY DIM SUM DOUGH

Sorry, I’m terrible about alliteration, I can’t help myself!  

Here’s a brief rundown on how you’ll prepare your Steamed Chinese BBQ Pork Buns for cooking:

OVERNIGHT BAO BUN DOUGH –

• Make the dough as directed in recipe. Cover dough bowl with a damp towel, and cover towel with plastic wrap.  Place in refrigerator overnight. When ready to make bao buns, take dough from refrigerator and let dough rest on counter for 20 minutes to come to room temperature.  Continue with recipe as instructed.

 

 

ASSEMBLY –

• Roll the dough into a long rope and divide into 10 equal segments. Press each piece of dough into a disc about 4 1/2″ in diameter, keeping the center slightly thicker than the edges. Add some filling and fold in half, pinching the two ends closed. Leave the center open, showing the filling. (or pleat in the traditional manner if desired)
• OPTIONAL: SPRINKLE SIDES WITH SESAME SEEDS
• Place each bun on a parchment square and place on a steamer rack. Put the rack in bamboo steamer over simmering water, cover and steam buns, about 12 minutes. (I did two batches of 5 each, but that depends on the size)

 

Believe me, this is not a hard recipe, despite any trepidation you might feel.  This is one yeast dough that will not fail you, and the assembly is simple too!  Why not make BOTH Chinese BBQ Pork Dumplings and Buns?

Now it’s time to tell you a little more about the Weekday Gourmand’s Meal Planner!

 

WEEKDAY GOURMAND’S MEAL PLANNER

I’m thrilled to introduce you to a new series I’ll be featuring here at Ingredients For A Fabulous Life.  The Weekday Gourmand’s Meal Planner features 7 days of gourmet dinner menus, not just one recipe per day.

Periodically I’ll add a new week of fresh and creative gourmet menus and recipes for you to try at home.  I think you’ll love the “Weekday Gourmand” meal planning concept I’ve come up with for you.

Not only do you eat fabulous meals every night, my menu plans are created to use up all your ingredients too!  Yes, you’ll need some pancetta for WEEKNIGHT BEEF BOURGUIGNON and HARICOTS VERTS WITH SHALLOT- PANCETTA BUTTER on Thursday. 

But you’ll use up the rest making CRISPY PANCETTA RICE CAKES WITH TOMATO BASIL RELISH the very next day.  It’s just that simple!

 

Check out the entire Weekday Gourmand’s Meal Planner “WORLD TOUR WEEK” menus:

• MONDAY – Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork, Rice w/Green Onions & Almonds, Roasted Asian Broccoli
• TUESDAY – Mushroom Butternut Barley Risotto, Pineapple Spears with Salted Caramel Sauce & Toasted Almonds
• WEDNESDAY – Steamed Chinese BBQ Pork Buns or Pan-Fried Chinese BBQ Pork Dumplings, Simple Asian Slaw
• THURSDAY – Weeknight Beef Bourguignon, Overnight Thyme-Parmesan Polenta and Haricot Verts with Pancetta-Shallot Butter
• FRIDAY – Crispy Pancetta Rice Cakes with Tomato-Basil Relish, Cranberry and Caramel Baked Apples
• SATURDAY – Beef Bourguignon Barley Soup, Blue Cheese Toasts
• SUNDAY – Roman Gnocchi with Mediterranean Vegetable Sauce, Green Apple & Arugula Salad with Blue Cheese and Sugared Walnuts

 

 

ARE YOU READY FOR A FAB WEEK OF GOURMET MEALS?

So, now you’ve got an arsenal filled with 15 fabulous weeknight gourmet recipes.  That’s great, but how do you work the “menu plan” itself?

I created my printable Weekday Gourmand’s 9 Page Meal Planner to help you execute the entire week’s menus.   Here’s what it contains, and how it will help you have a stress-free week of gourmet meals.  I’ve done all the thinking, planning and calculating for the whole week’s menu, so you won’t have to. 

• “World Tour Week” Menu with Reused Ingredient Notations
• Grocery Shopping Checklist with quantities noted
• Post-Grocery Shopping Meal Prep Tasks to keep weeknights simple
• Daily Meal Prep List
• “Next Day’s Meal” Tasks to give you a head start on tomorrow’s dinner
• Meal Planner Worksheet for you to make notes and help plan your week
• Custom “Weekday Gourmand” 5″ x 7″ blank recipe cards because I love my readers!

 

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Want to read more about the “WEEKDAY GOURMAND’S MEAL PLANNER”? 

For the whole scoop and all the related recipes, click here:   

Weekday Gourmand’s Meal Planner – World Tour Week Menus

 

YOU’RE NOT ON THE LIST YET?  Why not join in on the fun!

There’s always something fabulous happening here at Ingredients For A Fabulous Life, you don’t want to miss out, do you?  

Join the IFAFL Email Subscriber List to get instant access to the IFAFL Resource Library and receive our twice-weekly emails.  Just fill out the form below and you’ll have exclusive access to all the FREE DIGITAL DOWNLOADS.

Come join the gang in our Facebook group and get in on the gabfest at, The Fab Life!  That’s where we show off our triumphs and share our pursuit of “the good life” with each other all week long.  

 

 

Steamed Chinese BBQ Pork Buns

Yield: 10-12 Bao buns

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes

Fluffy bao buns stuffed with flavorful Chinese BBQ Pork are a delicious dim-sum style Asian treat, any night of the week! Try them with Simple Asian Slaw for a fabulous Weekday Gourmand's Meal Planner dinner!

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Ingredients

• BAO BUN DOUGH
• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 cup corn starch
• 5 Tbsp. granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• MEAT FILLING
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup green onions, finely minced
• 2 tsp. granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 2 cups Chinese BBQ pork, diced (see recipe link in related post)
• 1/3 cup water chestnuts, diced
• Corn starch thicken, if necessary
• Black and white sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. BAO BUN DOUGH: In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Sift together the flour and cornstarch, then add it to yeast, along with the sugar and oil. Turn on mixer to the lowest setting and mix until a smooth dough ball is formed. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let rest for 2 hours. (SEE NOTE FOR OVERNIGHT INSTRUCTIONS)
2. PORK FILLING: While dough is resting, prepare filling by adding oils to a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes Then add sugar, garlic powder, soy sauce, oyster sauce and hoisin, stirring well to combine and dissolve sugar. Cook for 1 minute more, then add pork and water chestnuts to the pan.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, stirring to coat meat and combine well. Let mixture cook for 2 minutes more.
4. If filling is too loose, make a slurry from 1 Tbps. cornstarch and just enough cold water to form a loose paste. Slowly add to meat filling, stirring well to combine. Continue to cook until filling has thickened sufficiently. Let cool.
5. Once dough has rested, add baking powder to the dough and turn the mixer onto the lowest setting to incorporate the baking powder. If dough is too dry, add 1-2 tsp. water and gently knead into a smooth ball again.
6. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for another 15 minutes.
7. Cut a large piece of parchment paper into 4" squares and prepare your bamboo steamer bottom and cover over a pan of water. Turn on heat to medium and bring to a low boil. (keep rack out to put buns on before placing into steamer)
8. ASSEMBLY: Roll the dough into a long rope and divide into 10 equal segments. Press each piece of dough into a disc about 4 1/2" in diameter, keeping the center slightly thicker than the edges. Add some filling and fold in half, pinching the two ends closed. Leave the center open, showing the filling. (or pleat in the traditional manner if desired)
9. OPTIONAL: SPRINKLE SIDES WITH SESAME SEEDS
10. Place each bun on a parchment square and place on a steamer rack. Put the rack in bamboo steamer over simmering water, cover and steam buns, about 12 minutes. (I did two batches of 5 each, but that depends on the size of your steamer)

Notes

OVERNIGHT INSTRUCTIONS: Cover dough bowl with a damp towel, and cover towel with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator overnight. When ready to make bao buns, take dough from refrigerator and let dough rest on counter for 20 minutes to come to room temperature. Continue with recipe as instructed.

Nutrition Information

Yield 10 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 509Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 29mgSodium 417mgCarbohydrates 79gFiber 3gSugar 16gProtein 15g

Calorie, fat and sodium amounts will vary with specific ingredients used.