Clem's Pau
 

All over South East and East Asia, a staple found at breakfast is steamed buns called Pau (Hokkien and Teochew) or Bao (Mandarin). These are white soft buns with fillings which may be either vegetarian (seed pastes) or meat (often pork but also chicken for those who don't eat the former). Meat fillings can come in a variety of styles with popular ones being char siew (BBQ) pork or oyster/soy sauce pork. Sometimes, vegetables can also be added.
 

I have previously (https://clemkuek.com/photoalbum/photo_696_7q.html)  only made seed paste buns so I thought I would try making Steamed Pork Buns this week. I chose the char siew and oyster/soy sauce pork types. Here's how to make them:
 

INGREDIENTS

Dough

• 500 g low gluten wheat flour (cake flour).
  This amount should give you enough dough for one batch of filling.
  Double the amount if you make two batches of fillings.
  
  In total, I tried three different flours viz.:
   
  • A Chinese brand of bun flour (Purple Orchid Brand).
     
  • A plain flour (85%) and cornflour (15%) mix.
    This is an ersatz low gluten wheat flour.
     
  • An Australian cake flour (Lighthouse brand).

  All three types of flour gave essentially the same result.
   

• 300 g warm water (about 30^oC).
   
• 5 g Instant or Active yeast (2 teaspoons).
   
• 10 g sugar (2 tablespoons).
   
• 3 g of salt (1/2 teaspoon).
   
• 8 g baking powder (2 teaspoons).
  (a back up for the yeast)
   
• 25 g of cooking oil (2 tablespoons) or shortening
   

Pork filling
 

Make two batches; for each batch:

• 300 g of pork.
  Choose your own ratio of ground pork to diced pork cubes (size of dicing is your choice).
   
• 2 g salt.
   
• 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce.
   
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce.
   
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce.
   
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
   
• 3 - 4 shoots of spring onions (chopped).
   
•  7 - 8 tablespoons of char siew sauce.
   
• Optional: 1 tablespoon Hoisin suace
   
• 8 - 10 pieces of dried shitake mushroom; diced.
   
• Hard boiled egg; one half for each pau.
   

METHOD

Dough

• Mix all the dry ingredients.
   
• Add the water and oil and then knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. You will find that the dough is sticky and that is normal.
   
• Cover the dough with film or a damp cloth and set aside to proof in a warm spot for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
   
• When sufficiently proofed, knead the dough into a log and divide it into about 12 pieces. Stretch and fold each piece several times and form dough balls. With the last fold, ensure that a smooth surface results at the top of the resulting doughball, and use the heels of both hands to press together the dough at the bottom of each ball to meld the dough.
   
• Take a doughball, place it on a floured surface and then press down on it with the hollow of your palm centred over the ball. It will start making a round shape with a raised centre part. Then begin to press down on the edges all around to thin them. You can use a rolling pin to speed up the work (roll and then spin the dough). Remember to keep the centre of the dough raised higher than the edges ( a ratio of twice or more the thickness of the centre to the edges will work nicely).
   
• When spread widely enough into a round shape, your dough is ready to take on the filling. Keep the dough floured and under wrap while you get the filling ready to bring to the dough for wrapping.
   

Char siew Pork
 

• Fry the ground/diced pork mixture in some oil and then add char siew sauce to it.
   
• Add the diced dried shitake mushroom.
   
• Add the sesame oil and hoisin sauce (if used).
   
• Fry until all is cooked.
  Note that char siew sauce is sticky.
   
• Check for consistency of the filling. If it is too dry, add some water and if this then is not thick enough, add a starch slurry to thicken it under heating until it is moist, and sticky enough for your liking to use as a filling. At this time, taste and adjust as necessary. You may choose to add more char siew sauce, chicken stock powder and some pepper to finalize the taste.
   
• Let the filling cool right down before use.
   

Oyster/soy sauce Pork

• Fry the ground/dice pork mixture in some oil and then add oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce.
   
• Add the shitake mushroom.
   
• Add in the chopped spring onions and sesame oil.
   
• Fry until all is cooked.
   
• Check for consistency. If dry, add water and starch slurry to adjust until the mixture is of the right thickness and moistness for use as your filling. At this time, taste and adjust as necessary. You may choose to add chicken stock powder and some pepper to finalize the taste.
   
• Let the filling cool right down before use.

• For the Oyster/Soy sauce pau:
  
  Place half a hard boiled egg at the centre of a dough wrapper as prepared earlier.
   
• Then take a couple of tablespoons (adjust as necessary for size/quantity for sufficient wrapper - less filling for the Oyster/Soy sauce version as there is also half an egg included) of filling and place at the centre of a dough round. Hold the assembly in the cupped palm of one hand and start folding/crimping the edges together. Bring together at the centre with a twisting pinch to seal off the pau. Round off the pau by cupping the sides of each pau.
   
• Place each pau on a piece of baking paper as a non-stick surface.

• Get your steamer hot and steaming.
   
• Place the paus in the steamer and steam for some 15 minutes, initially on high and then on low when you see steam escape from the top the of the steamer.
   
• After steaming for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and leave the steamer closed until it has cooled down substantially before opening the lid. This is to allow the dough of the paus to set and become strong enough to resist collapse of the air pockets entrapped in the dough while it is still pliable.
   
• Serve while the paus are still warm.

Clem's Char Siew Pau (left) and Oyster/Soy sauce Pau (right).
 

ENJOY!!

www.clemkuek.com

02 September 2026
 

Cooking by Clem: https://clemkuek.com/photoalbum/photo696.html
 

Video presentations can be found here:

Earlier Days: https://youtu.be/BWyHY1h9Y5s

Recent Past: https://youtu.be/PL9wWSI_Dfw

More Recently: https://youtu.be/nk6O2tGJ5pk

Created by Clem Kuek