Chinese Steamed Beef Buns With Ginger

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If you have ever tried a bao bun, then you know how addictive they are. Biting into a bao bun is nothing short of comfort.  The meaty, juicy filling, the soft pillowy cooked buns. They are often found in the frozen aisle of Asian groceries, and steamed fresh inside Japanese convenience stores. Lately I’ve been seeing a ton fo street food vendors in Phoenix cook up these Chinese steamed buns and I have to say, they’re delicious. These Chinese Steamed Beef Buns With Ginger are easy to make and taste so comforting. Who doesn’t love a hot and fresh homemade bun? 

What makes this delicious recipe different? I factored in time and money when it came to making these buns! Not everyone always has the time to make a homemade fluffy yeast bun that take time to rest and rise! I was craving the flavors of bao but wanted a recipe that cut the time in half, and used ingredients that are available at my small local grocery store.

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The Secret Ingredient To Shortcut Bao Bun Dough

This dough in this recipe is similar to Chinese baozi (bao buns), or steamed pork buns and is a great recipe for when you want the taste of bao buns but also want simplicity.

The secret ingredient in this recipe? It’s yogurt. 

surprising The yogurt helps to achieve the fluffy and light texture bao buns are known for. The fragrant ginger beef filling and the low maintenance “scrunch and bundle” shape make these steamed buns a super easy recipe to follow!

Yogurt is mixed with flour, baking powder and salt to make a soft dough, which is then rolled out and filled, no rising needed!

The yogurt acts with the baking powder to create that nice fluffy texture when the buns are steamed, and it helps to keep the dough moist and pillowy. You could also replace the flour and baking powder with an equal amount of self rising flour for the same results.

What I like about this method is there is no waiting around for the yeast dough to do its work! No resting time, no “set in a warm place and wait for 90 minutes”. It’s also a great recipe because you don’t need any fancy equipment! You can use your own tow hands to make this dough and do not need any fancy hook attachments or standing mixtures to achieve lofty, fluffy bun dough!

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The Ginger Beef Filling

Traditionally baozi is filled with a savory roasted pork filling, which has other ingredient like wood ear mushroom to give the filling some interesting texture.

This steamed bun recipe uses different filling ingredients like ground beef instead, and is heavily flavored with garlic, ginger, and green onion! It was inspired by the amazing ginger beef stir fry I used to get at my favorite Chinese restaurant.

Chopped red pepper adds a nice bite and pop of color when you open up the buns, and the dark salty-sweet sauce of soy sauce, mirin, oyster sauce and Chinese spicy black bean paste makes it such a perfect partner for the mild flavor of the bun.

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Alternatively, you can use ground pork or even ground shrimp to replace the ground beef. Ginger and pork and seafood are natural pairings and would both work great in this recipe.

For a vegetable filling, I recommend using a blend of 1/2lb. crumbled extra firm tofu and 1/2 cup each of shredded vegetables like carrots, nappa cabbage, mushrooms and onions. You can easily achieve fine texture by using a food processor and pulsing the ingredients.

Note: If you are using tofu and vegetables be sure to fry them in a pan first to get rid of any excess moisture before adding in the seasonings. I would also heavily recommend adding a cornstarch slurry to the mixture (1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water) at the same time when you add the seasonings to help bind the filling together. 

How To Cook Steamed Beef Buns: Pan Fry Method vs Bamboo Steamer Method

There are two ways that you can prepare these steamed beef buns. One way is to steam them in a pan and then fry the bottom until crispy. The other method is to use a bamboo steamer for a fully steamed bun. The recipe card uses the pan fry method, but I  have listed out how to do both methods below: 

The Pan Fry Method

1. Heat some vegetable oil or sesame oil (1-2tbsp) in a frying pan over medium-high heat until fluid and shimmering. 
2. Place the beef buns smooth side down into the pan and roll them around to make sure the bottom is oiled (this prevent the from sticking to the pan too much). 
3. Working quickly to avoid moisture loss, add in 1/3 cup of water (it will sizzle) and cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. 
4. Keeping the heat high, steam for 8 minutes until the buns are larger and dough is opaque. Replenish the water as needed if it evaporates too quickly.
5. Remove the lid and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and crunchy.
6. Serve with toppings and enjoy!

The Bamboo Steamer Method

1. Place your bamboo steamer into a large pot (large enough to fit the steamer). 
2. Arrange your beef buns in the steamer, making sure to not overfill the steamer basket and that the sides of the bun do not touch each other (tip: use some kind of non stick surface for the buns as steaming will make them more sticky than pan frying. Small squares of napa cabbage leaves or parchment paper are good choices.) 
3. Put the lid on your steamer basket and then pour in a shallow layer of water -don’t add too much water – the water should never been touching the buns at any time during the steaming process.)
4. On high heat, bring the water to a rapid boil. Allow the buns to steam for 8 minutes, replenishing the water as needed. 
5. Once the buns are done cooking, carefully remove the basket from the pot with pot holders or tongs. Be careful with this step as the steam will be very hot and if you are not confident then waiting for them to cook slightly is totally ok!)

Chinese Steamed Beef Buns With Ginger Recipe

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup Greek yogurt, room temperature

Ginger Beef Filling

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 1 inch (2.5cm) piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½ lb ground beef
• 3 shiitake mushrooms, wiped with a damp towel and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese spicy black bean paste (I use Lee Kum Kee brand)
• Optional toppings: chili oil, chopped cilantro, Chinese black vinegar, soy sauce

INSTRUCTIONS 

• To make the filling, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and green onions and fry for 1 minute.
• Add the red bell peppers, shiitake mushroom and ground beef and fry until the beef no longer pink.
• Add in the soy sauce, mirin, oyster sauce and Chinese black bean paste. Remove from heat and cool for 10-15 minutes.
• While the filling is cooling, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
• Mix in the Greek yogurt and stir until a shaggy dough forms. If the flour mixture seems too wet add a little more flour. If it looks too dry, add a few drops of cold water. 
• Turn out the dough onto a clean floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 3-4 minutes.
• Roll the dough into a long sausage shape and then divide into 8 equal portions.
• Keeping the remaining dough portions covered with a clean dishcloth (to prevent drying) use a rolling pin to roll a piece of dough into a thin round, about 3 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. For best results, keep the dough on the thin side as it will expand during the steaming process.
• Add about 2 tablespoons of filling to the center of the round and then gather the edges in the center to form a small bundle. Alternatively you can pleat the buns to make a spiral shape or even fold in half to make a half-moon shape.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Place the buns smooth side down in the pan.
• Add the water and cover with a tight fitting lid. Steam the buns for 8 minutes until the water has evaporated.
• Remove the lid and continue frying the buns for about 2 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and crunchy.
• To serve, top with chili oil and chopped cilantro or Chinese black vinegar.