Steamed Pork Buns (Xiaolongbao-Style)
肉馅小笼包 · pan chinese cuisine
This home-style recipe builds its filling by cooking half of the ground pork to render fat and deepen flavor, then folding it into the raw half with seasonings and chopped scallion. The dough is a simple yeast dough proofed warm, then filled, proofed again, and steamed. The same dough and filling also work as pan-fried buns (shuijianbao).
Priyanka RamanSoftware engineer by day, South Indian cook by night. My pressure cooker is my personality now. Trying to nail my amma's rasam without shortcuts.Nutrition & allergens
Contains:SoyWheat
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- Unknown
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
pork belly五花肉
10.58 oz — skin removed, ground
1.0 stalk — finely chopped
1.2 oz
0.74 oz
0.63 oz
10.58 oz
Yeast powder酵母粉
0.11 oz
0.97 cup
0.42 oz
as needed
Techniques you'll use
- Pan-frying (jian) ↗
Sear food in a shallow layer of oil, one side at a time.
- Steaming ↗
Cook with moist vapor for tender, clean-tasting results.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Remove the skin from the pork belly and pass the meat through a meat grinder.
✅ Done when: The pork is fully ground with no skin remaining.
Cook half of the ground pork in a pan.
✅ Done when: The pork in the pan has started to brown and cook through.
- 3
Step 3
Medium heat
Slowly cook the pork until it renders its fat.
✅ Done when: Visible fat has rendered out of the meat into the pan.
- 4
Step 4
Add the seasonings to the cooked pork.
✅ Done when: The seasonings are fully stirred in and evenly coat the meat.
- 5
Step 5
Transfer the cooked pork to a bowl and mix it with the other half of the raw ground pork.
✅ Done when: The cooked and raw pork are evenly combined into one filling.
- 6
Step 6
Add chopped scallion to the filling.
✅ Done when: The chopped scallion is evenly distributed through the filling.
- 7
Step 7
Chill the filling in the refrigerator; chilled filling is easier to wrap.
✅ Done when: The filling is cold and firm enough to handle easily.
- 8
Step 8
Mix the flour with warm water to form a dough.
✅ Done when: The dough comes together into a smooth, cohesive mass.
- 9
Step 940 min
Low heat
Proof the dough at 38°C (about 100°F) for 40 minutes; you can use an oven or place the dough over a pot of warm water.
✅ Done when: After 40 minutes the dough has risen visibly.
- 10
Step 10
Dust the dough with a little flour and knead it briefly.
✅ Done when: The dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
- 11
Step 11
Wrap the buns and let them proof a second time.
✅ Done when: The wrapped buns look slightly puffed before steaming.
Steam the buns.
✅ Done when: The buns are cooked through, with tender, springy wrappers.
Serve. These also work as pan-fried buns: spray a skillet with oil, pan-fry until golden, add 100 ml of flour water, cook 5 minutes, drizzle in a ring of oil, then cover for 1 more minute.
✅ Done when: The buns are golden on the bottom and cooked through.
- 14
Step 14
If making pan-fried buns, you can leave the seams slightly open at the top rather than sealing them fully; the open buns taste better.
✅ Done when: The buns are wrapped with a small opening left at the seam.