9 Best Baozi Recipes [Chinese Steamed Bun Ideas] (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between steamed bun and bao bun? ›

Bao Buns (pronounced “bow”), but also known as a 'steamed buns' or 'baozi' 包子, are a delicious, warm, fluffy treat of stuffing wrapped inside a sweet, white dough. Made with a mix of flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk and oil, the bao is a tad sweeter than its closely related cousin, the dumpling.

Mantou (traditional Chinese: 饅頭; simplified Chinese: 馒头), often referred to as Chinese steamed bun, is a white and soft type of steamed bread or bun popular in northern China.

Bao or Baozi are a type of steamed, filled buns. they can be filled with meat or veggie filling and eaten just like that!

A standard steamed bao typically contains about 200-250 calories, positioning it as a moderate-calorie food option. Additionally, bao serves as a source of protein and dietary fiber, particularly when made with whole grain flours or filled with vegetables or lean meats.

Bao or Baozi are said to have been invented in China during the 3rd century by a military strategist called Zhuge Liang [181-234]. They were first named Mantou but over time they began to be referred to as baozi or bao meaning to wrap in Mandarin.

Steamed buns made with lean meats and vegetables can be a healthy option, as they are typically low in fat and calories and high in protein and fiber. However, some buns may be made with high-fat meats or sweet fillings that are high in sugar, which can contribute to an unhealthy diet if consumed in large quantities.

Any rush of cool air could potentially make the buns collapse. If you're making fluffy yeasted buns, let the buns sit covered in the steamer for an extra 5 minutes after the heat has been turned off. This resting time is crucial. If you open the lid too quickly, the cool air from outside might deflate the buns.

Plain flour.

You can use bleached bao flour if you can find it in an Asian supermarket – this will give your bao that classic bright white look. Plain flour is much easier to find so it's what I use.

We always serve these buns with thinly sliced carrot and/or cucumber, fresh cilantro or mint, avocado, chiles, and sesame seeds. A few pickled jalapeños or the banh mi pickles from this recipe would also be excellent here.

Steamed buns made with raised flour are seen throughout China and are what is usually referred to as mantou. Steamed xiaolongbao made with partially raised flour are more commonly seen in the south. This means that their skin is tender, smoother, and somewhat translucent, rather than being white and fluffy.

What is the difference between Mantou and baozi? ›

包子 (baozi) is a filled steamed bun that has an outer coating which is a white fluffy breading and a filling in the center (most traditionally a pork-based filling). 馒头 (mantou) is just a steamed bun, with no filling inside.

A lotus seed bun is a Chinese sweet bun found in China. They are prepared by steaming a yeast-leavened dough that contains lotus seed paste. It can be classified as a dim sum, though not exclusively so.

Lotus leaf buns, also called hé yè bǐng, are steamed folded breads originally from the Fujian province of China. Traditionally they're use for gua bao where the buns are filled with braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens, and ground peanuts.

Bao Buns, commonly called steamed buns, are a tasty, slightly sweet white dough filled with stuffing. Bao buns are typically made with flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk or water, and oil. Some people have compared bao buns to dumplings, but the main difference is the level of sweetness.

To Summarize. In summary, bao buns are made from fermented yeast dough, while dumplings are only made from wheat flour without the yeast. Since bao dough contains yeast, it needs more time to rise and results in thinner skin than dumplings. In terms of cooking, baos are usually steamed, baked, and sometimes pan-fried.

Bao means "bun", so the name bao bun is redundant, and bao in the Chinese language without any qualifiers is generally used to refer to baozi.

As mentioned before Bao Buns are also commonly referred to as “bao, bay, pow, pau, paoare, Mantou, baozi, humbow, nunu, bakpao, bausak, however the most common terminology will be Bao or Steamed Buns. These soft delicious Chinese treats have been in existence for hundreds of years!

Asian-style steamed bread has a lower glycemic index (GI) than western-style baked bread, A*STAR researchers have found1. This preparation method could be more widely adopted as a useful weapon in the battle against diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes, they suggest.