The American classic: the sloppy Joe but with an Asian twist.
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The American classic: the concept of the sloppy Joe but with Asian flavors inside bao buns. These are not traditional bao buns but a delicious twist. The ground pork is sautéed with fragrant ginger, garlic and green onion then blended with a flavorful soy sauce mixture and served in steamed fluffy bao buns. Fill the steamed buns so they are overflowing and almost have to be eaten with a fork.
Pork – Ground pork typically comes from minced pork shoulder meat and is incredibly versatile. Try swapping for another lean ground meat like turkey or chicken in this bun bao recipe.
Ginger – To easily peel ginger, use the tip of a spoon to carefully peel away the skin.
Garlic – I always use fresh cloves of garlic, the pre-minced jars of garlic don’t taste the same. It loses a lot of the powerful garlic flavor when it’s jarred. This is because it has been soaked in water for a long period of time. Peeling garlic only takes a bit. As the garlic is sautéed the flavor mellows so it’s not very pungent but adds a base flavor.
Green onions – Green onions, also referred to as scallions or spring onions are a mild member of the allium family. They are harvested young before they form bulbs. The lower, white parts of the green onions contain the most intense flavor which is why they are usually used for cooking while the upper green parts have a more subtle flavor and are used as a garnish.
How to Make Bao Buns
For the steamed bao buns:
Bloom the yeast. In a small bowl stir together the yeast and sugar with ¾ cup lukewarm water and let sit for 10 minutes.
Mix the dough. Add the yeast mixture, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and fat (or shortening) to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
Let dough rise. Mix on the lowest speed until the dough gathers in a ball on the hook, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat it with the oil then cover with plastic wrap and place in warm place to let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Divide the dough. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Divide the dough in half then cut each half into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, making 16 pieces, each about the size of a ping-pong ball.
Roll out the dough. Set the balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 30 minutes. Working one at a time, use a rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a 4-inch long oval.
Form the bao. Lightly brush with the oil and fold each oval in half horizontally to form a bun. Place the bun on one of the squares of parchment paper. Once again, cover with the plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining buns and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.
Steam the bao buns. Set up a steamer on top of the stove with water on medium-low heat. Work in batches as to not crowd the steamer, steam the buns on the parchment paper for about 10 minutes.
Set aside. Remove the parchment paper and set the buns aside. Buns can also be cooled then frozen in plastic ziplock bags. Reheat in a steamer until completely soft, about 2 minutes.
To make the pork filling:
Sauté aromatics. Heat a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic and the whites of the green onions and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the pork and season with salt and pepper.
Cook the pork. Cook, stirring occasionally and using a wooden spoon to break apart the pork, until the pork is browned about 6 minutes. Add the soy sauce and cook for an additional minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork to a medium mixing bowl.
Season the pork. In a small bowl stir together the sriracha and hoisin. Add the hoisin mixture to the pork and stir to combine. Stir in the remaining green onions and set aside.
For serving:
Assemble and serve the pork bao buns. Spoon the pork filling into the bao buns and garnish with the cucumber, green onions and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this sloppy bao bun recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:
2tablespoonspork fat or vegetable shortening,at room temperature
2tablespoonsvegetable oil
For the pork filling:
1tablespoonvegetable oil
1½teaspoonsminced ginger
4cloveschopped garlic
3scallions,thinly sliced, whites and greens divided
1½poundsground pork,80% lean/ 20% fat
Kosher salt,as needed
Freshly ground black pepper,as needed
2tablespoonssoy sauce
1teaspoonsriracha
1tablespoonhoisin sauce
For serving:
½English hothouse cucumber,thinly sliced
3tablespoonschopped green onions
1teaspoonchopped cilantro
Instructions:
For the steamed bao buns:
In a small bowl stir together the yeast and sugar with ¾ cup lukewarm water and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the yeast mixture, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and fat (or shortening) to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
Mix on the lowest speed until the dough gathers in a ball on the hook, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat it with the oil then cover with plastic wrap and place in warm place to let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Divide the dough in half then cut each half into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, making 16 pieces, each about the size of a ping-pong ball.
Set the balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 30 minutes. Working one at a time, use a rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a 4-inch long oval.
Lightly brush with the oil and fold each oval in half horizontally to form a bun. Place the bun on one of the squares of parchment paper. Once again, cover with the plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining buns and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.
Set up a steamer on top of the stove with water on medium-low heat. Work in batches as to not crowd the steamer, steam the buns on the parchment paper for about 10 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and set the buns aside.
Buns can also be cooled then frozen in plastic ziplock bags. Reheat in a steamer until completely soft, about 2 minutes.
For the pork filling:
Heat a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic and the whites of the green onions and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the pork and season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally and using a wooden spoon to break apart the pork, until the pork is browned about 6 minutes. Add the soy sauce and cook for an additional minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork to a medium mixing bowl.
In a small bowl stir together the sriracha and hoisin. Add the hoisin mixture to the pork and stir to combine. Stir in the remaining green onions and set aside.
For serving:
Spoon the pork filling into the bao buns and garnish with the cucumber, green onions and cilantro. Serve immediately.
DID YOU MAKE THIS?
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@cookingwithcocktailrings
5 stars! The bun recipe is so much better than the one I had been making, and the filling was delicious. We added sweet chili sauce on top. Will definitely make again.
We made these today. They are so flavorful! It took a while to make the boa buns but it was all worth it after the first bite! Will definitely make these again!
This is the bun texture! Good recipe and you can play with the filling, but the bun recipe is perfect!
So happy to hear you enjoyed!! Thank you for sharing Kit!!
5 stars! The bun recipe is so much better than the one I had been making, and the filling was delicious. We added sweet chili sauce on top. Will definitely make again.
YAY!!! So happy to hear that Sarah! Thanks for sharing!
We made these today. They are so flavorful! It took a while to make the boa buns but it was all worth it after the first bite! Will definitely make these again!
so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!!