50 replies to this topic

[eatingwitheddie]

What makes a great roast pork bun?

Who makes a great roast pork bun?

Steamed or baked, which do you prefer? Why?

[Fat Guy]

What makes a great roast pork bun?

Tender pork and lots of it. Not too much goopy sauce in there. And not too much sitting-around time.

[torakris]

what? moist not dry buns, filling heavy on the pork rather than fillers though some pieces aof shiitake, bamboo shoots, etc are a welcome addition, filling also moist rather than dry.

where?
Almost any vendor in Yokohama's Chinatown (sorry have never beent o any other China towns and the ones sold in Japanese supermarkets can be quite bad)

steamed, definitely steamed.

[Wimpy]

aka Char Siew Pao? Plenty of it here in Singapore. Steamed or baked is good, though I prefer the latter. Hate it when they go cheap on the pork filling, but inevitable unless you make it yourself. Agree that it shouldn't be too goopy. Should be seasoned aggressively enough to make up for bland bun portion with every bite.

Edited by Wimpy, 13 March 2003 - 12:59 AM.

[Jon Tseng]

- High filling/bread ratio - Lots of meaty filling - no padding out with cornflour-gloop sauce - fluffy bread but not too much
- And a touch of garlicy sweetness to the filling

Can we extend this to roast pork puff ( char siu so)?
- Flaky pastry
- Slightly sweet pastry
- Piping hot

J

[SobaAddict70]

According to El Gordo, GSI (or is it GS Chelsea? (I can't remember.)) makes a pretty good char siu bao. (Of course, I've never been. )

However, I can tell you who makes a really awful bun -- Our Evergreen, located in the lower Upper East Side. Could've been an off night though. The bun in question was really bready, and not even the right size.

Soba

[eatingwitheddie]

Does anybody know of a roast pork bun that has ENOUGH filling?

They ALWAYS seem to have too little don't they?

[Bux]

A gloopy sauce is a real turn off, but I'm one of those people who find plenty of onions in the baked buns or lots of cabbage in the steamed buns a plus. It adds depth to the flavor of the bun. What I don't like is a baked bun with paper on the bottom that doesn't want to peel off without taking a good chunk of bun with it. Buns that have too sweet a glaze are a turn off as well. The steamed buns I miss are the ones that I used to find along Canal Street (NYC) that were reheated on a griddle. They had a crusty bottom that contrasted nicely with the texture of the steamed bread. They were also cabbage and pork buns and unlike the baked pork buns, the pork was not roast pork.

[Wimpy]

The only solution to not having enough filling is to make the darn things yourself. Steamed "paos" are much easier to do than baked. Use Ming Tsai's recipe for the dough and you won't go far wrong. As for filling, it can be anything. I typically saute pork belly cubes with black bean sauce and waterchestnuts for the crunch.

Oh and btw, the little wax paper squares on the bottom is a must, else your pao will stick to the steamer.

Not quite char siew pao, but pao nevertheless.

Edited by Wimpy, 13 March 2003 - 07:37 AM.

[tissue]

Can we extend this to roast pork puff ( char siu so)?
- Flaky pastry
- Slightly sweet pastry
- Piping hot

J

I like these better than the bao.

[La Niña]

Does anybody know of a roast pork bun that has ENOUGH filling?

They ALWAYS seem to have too little don't they?

Eddie - that's why I love the buns at Mei Lei Wah. Perfect ratio.

[Jon Tseng]

If you're doing the non-roast pork ones (ie plain meat filling - no gloop) MUST be as juicy as possible (I suspect this involves chucking lots of pork fat and/or jelly into the stuffing).

Best baozi I ever had were lamb baozi from a muslim hole-in-the-wall in beijing. terrifically tasty and oozing juice. yum.

J

[CooksQuest]

Use Ming Tsai's recipe for the dough and you won't go far wrong.

Got a link (to either a book at Amazon or otherwise permissible reference)?

[Rhea_S]

I prefer a slightly sweet, soft, fluffy dough, just enough sauce (not too sweet) to moisten the meat and steamed.

I don't like char siu bao as much as Filipino siopao. Same idea but different fillings. My favourite has minced pork or chicken, strips of ham, shiitake mushrooms, scallions and the yolk of a salted egg. The best I've ever had are from New Town Bakery in Vancouver's Chinatown. Friends from the US always request a box or two whenever I go home to Vancouver.

[Wilfrid]

Best I ever ate were bought in Singapore airport. Someone bought me a dozen to take on the plane. A dozen .

[scamhi]

The Bakery can't remember the name on the corner of Lafayette and Grand Southeast corner has good ones, very juicy, not gloppy and warm sweet soft bun. $0.50 each. They take them out of a warmer in the back.

[chopper]

Best I've had: Jade Garden, Carnarvon st, Hong Kong

Served at Dim Sum, perfect balance of juicy tasty meat filling, and soft sweet dough, I can still taste them...

[wingding]

The dim sum parlor on the corner of East Broadway and Market St.[formerly the Garden cafeteria] makes a nice char shu bao.Fresh is the most important thing,as well as a touch of cooking sherry in the sauce.For steamed buns,nothing beats dai bao for me-a large steamed bun with chicken,hard boiled egg,chinese sausage,sometimes mushroom.Mei Lei Wah is the current champ for this one.

[Jon Tseng]

I forgot to add we also used to get fantastic steamed buns brought back from Paris from a Cambodian-Chinese family friend. I particularly remember for the most wonderfully moist, sweet chunks of wind-dried sausage. Yum.

J

[mamster]

Does anybody know of a roast pork bun that has ENOUGH filling?

They ALWAYS seem to have too little don't they?

I sort of understand this, because I've made them at home and it was harder than I thought to get enough filling in there. Then again, I'm just puttering around in my kitchen, and out in the world there are real dim sum chefs.

My top criterion is not too sweet. I realize they have to be somewhat sweet, but often the sugar is all you can taste. Believe it or not, they used to sell some pretty good ones at Costco. You'd wrap them in plastic and microwave them. They'd rank solidly in the middle of the ones I've had at various dim sum parlors.

[LESider]

Why doesn't anyone mention Hop Shing's ? I'd put them up against anything in NYC's Chinatown.

[jackal10]

I just made some.
I follow Florence Lin's method, but added leeks instead of scallions.
I'd post a picture if I could figure out how to upload (any help?)

[Kim WB]

I prefer the roll to be dense, and the filling to be portk and cabbage or leeks/scallions. Steamed, or course! Best I ever had were at the bakery across from the Mingyuan XinduHotel in Nanning, China. They had regular and sweet versions, the sweetness referring to the sauce the pork was in...and I had at least 20 pork buns throught small villages and mid sized cities in Southern China...there was a small amount of pork filling in each bun..similiar to the small amount of meat eaten with each meal. US Porkbuns from Philly, NY and SF chinatowns all had more pork filling than those I had in China.

[roryrabbitfield]

Hi Pork Bun Fans,

I live in Brooklyn, NY and I'm looking for the best roast pork buns in the city. So far have to try Hop Shing and Mei Lei Wah. Does anyone else have things to recommend in the 5 boroughs?

I am obsessed with these buns.

[eatingwitheddie]

Hi Pork Bun Fans,

I live in Brooklyn, NY and I'm looking for the best roast pork buns in the city. So far have to try Hop Shing and Mei Lei Wah. Does anyone else have things to recommend in the 5 boroughs?

I am obsessed with these buns.

Try the small baked buns at The Golden Unicorn, 18 E. Bway at Chathan Sq in Chinatown. Haven't had them in a while but I remember them to be excellent and delicate.

[tonkichi]

I like the "po-lo" /pineapple char-siew buns if I can get it. It is char-siew filling in a mildly sweet bun, and this bun "wears" a crispy eggy cap. Like "po-lo" buns, usually the filling is custard or "nai-yao"; imagine the char-siew substituting for custard.

there is no pineapple in this bun, the crunchy cap has a lattice pattern like a pineapple.

Edited by tonkichi, 06 April 2003 - 07:55 PM.

[roryrabbitfield]

I will try the Golden Unicorn. Thanks! Any other notable roast pork buns in NYC? I'm low on suggestions for Flushing, Queens. Also Sunset Park, Brooklyn's Chinatown.

what is the roast pork bun called in chinese (the eggy one)? What is the other type of bun with meat called, and what is the difference?

[herbacidal]

I will try the Golden Unicorn. Thanks! Any other notable roast pork buns in NYC? I'm low on suggestions for Flushing, Queens. Also Sunset Park, Brooklyn's Chinatown.

what is the roast pork bun called in chinese (the eggy one)? What is the other type of bun with meat called, and what is the difference?

didn't know there was a pineapple-roast pork bun. will have to look into that.

in cantonese:

roast pork would be cha siew

pineapple would be ball laaw (seems to be phonetically better, IMO)

bun would be bao

so it would probably be said more as roast pork pineapple bun.

roast pork pineapple bun would be cha siew ball laaw bao.

don't know what else you were asking. please clarify, but i'll attempt to give some info.

the basic roast pork bun comes two ways, steamed or baked.

the baked is the yellow one, steamed is the one available at dimsum.
both are available at some bakeries, some may just have baked.

the baked one would be gook cha siew bao.

the steamed one would be jing cha siew bao.

[roryrabbitfield]

Thank you very much, herbacidal, for the chinese lesson. I was looking for the names for the baked and steamed roast pork bun. Now I get it. Many thanks.

Anyone with places to recommend in Flushing, Queens or anywhere in NYC? Especially interested in baked roast pork buns.

[eatingwitheddie]

Especially interested in baked roast pork buns.

This morning at 8 AM I had a too-hot-to-handle very good baked bun at 146 Hester (SE corner at Elizabeth). Noticed many customers also buy wintermelon cakes at that hour. Locally very popular (for a long time).

In Flushing try Fay Da Bakery, 3 blocks south of Roosevelt on the west side of Main St. Haven't had them myself, but they have recently expanded and I have heard very good things from my Chinese friends.