What are Chinese meat pies

Chinese meat pies, known as Xiàn Bǐng/馅饼, are a type of stuffed flatbread popular throughout China. They offer a rich diversity of fillings, shapes, and flavors, catering to a wide range of tastes.

Imagine a cross between a giant dumpling and a flatbread, pan-fried to a golden shine. If you enjoyed my recipe for Crispy Stuffed Flatbread or Scallion Pancakes, you’ll find these meat pies to be an excellent alternative.

My version showcases how my parents make them, using a mixture of fatty ground meat and a generous amount of scallions. However, I’ve enhanced their dough recipe by adding extra water and a little oil, which results in a more tender mouthfeel.

Top tips

As usual, I’d like to first point out a few tips to help you achieve the best result.

• Allow enough time to rest the dough.
• Add water/stock to the filling for a juicy texture.
• Watch the tutorial to learn the assembly technique
• Freeze uncooked pies and cook whenever you wish.

Make the dough

For the dough, you only need three elements: all-purpose flour, water (both hot and room-temperature), and cooking oil. Through testing, I’ve found this combination to be the best formula for producing a soft, palatable texture in Chinese meat pies.

Here is how you make it by hand:

1. Firstly, add hot water (just boiled) to the flour. Stir to distribute. Then, add room-temperature water and cooking oil.
2. Mix and combine to form a soft, cohesive, rough-looking dough. Leave to rest, covered, for 20 minutes. Knead it again until perfectly smooth.
3. Divide the dough into equal pieces. Coat each with a little oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let them rest for 10 minutes before assembling.

🌟 NOTES:

• This dough is supposed to be quite soft (it has a higher liquid content than dumpling dough or bao dough). Dust your hands with flour when combining and kneading to prevent sticking.
• Resting is important because it allows the gluten bonds to develop, making the dough more elastic and stretchy.

Mix the filling

Here is a list of ingredients you need for the filling (substitutes included when possible):

• Ground meat. It can be pork, beef or lamb.
• Scallions. Chinese chives can be used as a substitute.
• Ginger.
• Light soy sauce & dark soy sauce. The former provides the key umami saltiness, while the latter offers a caramelized sweet undertone.
• Sesame oil, for extra aroma and nuttiness.
• Ground spices. I use a combination of Sichuan pepper and white pepper. Five-spice or cumin powder are good substitutes.

Like how I explained in my post on Dumpling Fillings, two factors contribute to a juicy, tender filling:

• Use ground meat that has a high-fat content. 15-20% of fat is what I usually choose.
• Add water, or unsalted stock if available, to the filling. Make sure to stir the mixture very well so the liquid is fully absorbed by the meat.

Assemble the pies

To shape a Chinese meat pie, you need to wrap the filling with a dough wrapper into a ball, similar to how you assemble a Baozi (stuffed bao bun).

Place it over a lightly oiled tray, with the sealed side facing down, before pan-frying starts. You don’t need to flatten the balls at this stage.

To clearly understand how it works, please watch the video tutorial inside the recipe card below. Here are a few tips you may find helpful:

• Use oil, instead of flour, to coat the work surface and your hands. This way the dough stays soft and easy to stretch.
• To achieve the optimal result of Pí Bó Xiàn Dà/皮薄馅大 (meaning thin skin and big filling), stuff the wrapper with plenty of filling. Wrap it with the dough as tightly as possible.
• If you find this method challenging, simply shape the pie into a flat half-moon, like how a Chinese Chive Pocket looks.

Pan-fry the pies

Choose a heavy-bottomed skillet/frying pan. Add enough oil to thinly cover its surface. Heat for half a minute then put in the assembled dough balls (do not overcrowd). Use your fingers, or a spatula, to flatten each into a disc.

Over low heat, fry them until the first side gains a golden color. Flip over then cover with a lid. Continue cooking until the other side browns nicely.

Finally, flip over the pies again to further crisp the first side before transferring them out to a tray lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil.

Serving ideas

Enjoy these juicy meat pies while warm. They are great on their own as breakfast or snack. Dip them in Chinese chili oil if you crave something spicy.

My family also has them for dinners, paired with bowls of congee and a few refreshing cold dishes, such as Smashed Cucumber, Scallion Silken Tofu, Tiger Salad, etc.

Make ahead

If you wish to have these meat pies as breakfast on busy mornings, follow these make-ahead tips:

• Freeze uncooked pies. Flatten the assembled dough balls into discs. Place them on a tray and keep in the freezer until fully frozen. Transfer them into airtight bags and store for up to 2 months.
• Cook frozen pies. Without defrosting, pan-fry frozen pies over medium-low heat, with the lid on all the time, until both sides turn golden.

Other comforting staples

Looking for other classic Chinese bread recipes? Check out these popular ones:

📋 Recipe

Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!

Print

Chinese Meat Pies (Xian Bing/馅饼)

With their juicy filling encased in golden wrappers and pan-fried to perfection, Chinese meat pies are a delightful staple that you simply must try.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Rest 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 pies

Calories 185kcal

Author Wei Guo

Ingredients

For the dough

• 300 g all-purspose flour aka plain flour (see note 1)
• 120 g hot water
• 45 g room-temperature water (see note 1)
• 2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil plus extra for coating

For the filling

• 300 g ground pork or beef/lamb
• 6 stalks scallions finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper or five-spice powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 4 tablespoon water or unsalted stock

For pan-frying

• Neutral cooking oil

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Prepare the dough

• Put flour into a mixing bowl. Pour hot water over then mix with chopsticks. Add room temperature water and cooking oil. Stir well then combine and knead with hands.
• As soon as a cohesive dough forms (it doesn’t need to look smooth), cover it and let it rest for 20 minutes.
• Knead the dough again until it becomes smooth. Coat the work surface and your hands with a little oil to prevent sticking. Roll the dough into a log then cut it into 8 equal portions.
• Shape each piece into a ball, making sure it’s lightly coated with oil from your hands. Cover them with plastic wrap, then leave to rest for a further 10 minutes.

Mix the filling

• While waiting for the dough to rest, prepare the filling by adding all the ingredients (meat, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, five-spice, white pepper, and water) into a mixing bowl. Stir with chopsticks in one direction until the mixture becomes sticky.

Assemble

• Put a piece of dough on the work surface. Flatten it into a disc with your fingers, about ⅕ inch (½ cm) thick.
• Hold the wrapper with your non-dominant hand. Place ⅛ of the filling over the wrapper. Use the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand to pleat the dough to wrap the filling tightly, while using the thumb of your non-dominant hand to push the filling inwards. Seal the dough securely in the middle (please refer to the video tutorial below).
• Place the assembled pie on an oiled tray. Repeat the procedure to shape other pies.

Pan-fry

• In a heavy-bottomed skillet/frying pan, heat oil enough to cover the surface. Gently put inthe stuffed dough balls and flatten them into discs with your fingers or a spatula, about 1 inch (2½ cm) thick (see note 2).
• Leave to fry over low heat until the first side becomes golden. Flip over the pies and cover the skillet with a lid. Fry until the other side browns. Flip again to further crisp the first side for 20 seconds or so.

Make ahead

• Flatten stuffed dough balls into discs. Lay them over a tray and freeze until solid. Transfer frozen pies into airtight bags. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• Without defrosting, pan-fry frozen pies in a little oil over medium-low heat, with the lid on all the time, until both sides turn golden.

Video

Notes

1. The flour-to-water ratio may vary slightly depending on the brand of your flour and the humidity of your kitchen. Adjust if necessary. Bear in mind that this dough is supposed to be quite soft, but isn’t overly sticky. 

2. Depending on the size of your cookware, you’ll need to cook all the pies in 2-3 batches.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pie | Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 274mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 92IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Note: This is a revised version of my post published in 2017. It provides more tips, process shots and a tutorial video.

Born and raised in the northwest of China, I have a deep love for flour-based dishes, particularly ones with savory fillings, such as Jiaozi (Chinese dumplings), Baozi (steamed stuffed buns), and all types of Bing (flatbread), Today’s recipe is a perfect example: Chinese crispy stuffed flatbread, a variety of Bing known as Guo Kui.

What is Guo Kui

Guo Kui/锅盔, literally meaning “pot helmet” in Chinese, is a type of pan-fried or pan-baked flatbread that is popular in the western regions of China. It can be plain or stuffed, yeasted or non-leavened.

Today’s version originated from Sichuan province. It features crispy, layered dough stuffed with a beef filling that is generously seasoned with scallions and Sichuan pepper, a mouth-numbing spice unique to Chinese cuisine (Other types of meat and/or spices can be used as substitutes).

Like Scallion Pancakes, Chinese Meat Pies, and Chinese Doughnut Sticks, crispy stuffed flatbread is a popular choice at breakfast street stands in China. They also make for a delicious lunch or dinner when accompanied by congee or soups.

Top tips

Before I explain the recipe in detail, here are some useful tips to bear in mind.

• Rest the dough to increase its elasticity
• Choose ground meat with a high-fat content
• Be generous with scallions and spices
• Use a thick-bottomed skillet and control the heat to ensure crispiness

Make the dough

You only need two ingredients to make the dough: all-purpose flour and water at room temperature. It’s a simple non-yeasted dough like what you use for Chinese dumplings, but it has a higher water content and thus is much softer in texture.

🛎️ NOTE: The flour to water ratio is 5:3 by WEIGHT (e.g. 500g flour to 300g water). You may need to alter it slightly as different brands of flour have different water absorption capacities. Adjust when needed. You can also measure them by volume with cups (e.g. 4 cups flour to 1¼ cup water ), but it’s less accurate this way.

Choose one of these methods to prepare the dough:

• By hand: Add water to flour gradually while stirring with chopsticks. Then combine and knead with your hand until a rough-looking dough forms. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Knead it again until it becomes very smooth.
• With a stand mixer: Put flour and water into the mixing bowl. Use a dough hook to mix and knead on low speed for 8 minutes or so until a smooth dough forms.

Place the dough over a lightly oiled work surface and gently rub a thin layer of oil over it. Flatten the dough with your hands, then cut it into equal portions, making sure they don’t stick to each other.

Cover the dough pieces with plastic wrap and allow them to rest for 30 minutes. This process will make it more elastic and stretchy.

Prepare the filling

To stuff the crispy flatbread, you need 4 components:

• Ground meat (beef, pork, or chicken), preferably with a high-fat content, and its seasonings
• Scallions, finely chopped
• Ground Sichuan pepper, or other spices such as five spice powder, black pepper, cumin powder, etc.
• A flour & oil paste

To season the meat, mix it with Shaoxing rice wine, salt, white pepper, and water. It’s done when no more liquid can be seen and the meat turns into a sticky mass. Divide it into equal portions for easy assembly in the next step.

The flour & oil paste will be brushed over the dough, ensuring the finished bread has clear layers. It also adds some flavor too. To make it, heat the oil until smoking, then pour it over the flour in a bowl. Stir to remove any lumps.

Assemble the flatbread

To create flakey layers, the flatbread is assembled in a particular way. Here is how it’s done step-by-step.

1. Flatten a piece of dough into a tennis racket shape with your fingers. Brush a layer of the flour & oil paste all over.
2. Sprinkle ground Sichuan pepper (or other spices) generously.
3. Place a portion of the ground meat over the racket head end of the dough, then top it with chopped scallions.
4. Wrap the filling with the outer part of the dough around it.
5. Roll the filled dough towards the racket handle part of the dough, until a layered cylinder forms.
6. Stand up the cylinder then gently press it into a disc (don’t worry if a little filling is pushed out).

To better understand the process, please take a moment to watch the tutorial video inside the recipe card below.

Pan-fry the flatbread

Similar to how you cook Scallions Pancakes, these flatbreads are pan-fried in oil to achieve a pleasing texture: crispy outside and soft inside.

In a skillet (frying pan), preferably with a thick bottom, heat enough oil over high heat to thinly cover the entire surface. To test if the oil is ready, you can drop a small piece of dough into it. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.

Gently put in the assembled flatbread. Reduce the heat to medium-low and leave to sizzle until the bottom turns golden. Then, carefully flip them over to fry the other side.

Make ahead

Freeze the uncooked flatbread immediately after assembly. Stack them with sheets of parchment paper in between each one, then tightly seal the entire stack with plastic wrap.

Before serving, place the frozen flatbread directly into hot oil, without defrosting, and fry until the bottom is browned. Pour in ½ cup of water, then cover the skillet with a tight lid. Cook over high heat until all the water has evaporated. Uncover and flip the flatbread to fry the other side.

This fry-steam-fry method, similar to the one used for cooking Sheng Jian Bao (pork buns), allows the flatbread to thaw thoroughly and ensures it is fried to perfection.

Other popular staples

Looking for more tasty staples to try? Check out these classics:

📋 Recipe

Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!

Print

Crispy Stuffed Flatbread (Guo Kui/锅盔)

A delicious Chinese street food, crispy stuffed flatbread is beloved for its delectable taste and pleasing texture. A treat worth every bit of effort.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Rest 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 13 minutes minutes

Servings 10 pieces

Calories 341kcal

Author Wei Guo

Ingredients

For the dough

• 500 g all-purpose flour aka plain flour (see note 1)
• 300 g water
• Cooking oil for coating the dough

For the flour & oil paste

• 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour aka plain flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 tablespoon cooking oil

For the meat

• 280 g ground beef or pork/chicken
• 4 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper

You also need

• 1 tablespoon ground Sichuan pepper or other spices, such as five spice, cumin powder, black pepper, etc.
• 6 stalk scallions finely chopped
• Cooking oil for pan-frying

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the dough

• Put flour into a mixing bowl. Add water in batches while mixing with chopsticks. Then combine and knead until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Knead again until it becomes very smooth (see note 2 if using a stand mixer).
• Rub a little oil all over the dough to form a thin coating. Flatten it with your hands, then cut it into 10 equal pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for a further 30 minutes.

Make the flour & oil paste

• Put flour and salt into a small bowl. Then heat oil in a pan until it smokes. Pour the hot oil over the flour. Stir well to remove any lumps. Set aside.

Prepare the meat

• Put ground beef, water, Shaoxing rice wine, salt, and white pepper into a mixing bowl. Swirl with chopsticks in the same direction until the liquid is fully absorbed and the meat becomes sticky. Divide the filling into 10 portions. Set aside.

Assemble the flatbread

• With your fingers, flatten a piece of dough into a tennis racket shape (see note 3). Brush a layer of the flour & oil paste over, then sprinkle with ground Sichuan pepper. Place one portion of the meat in the middle of the racket head end of the dough, then top with chopped scallions generously.
• Wrap the meat with the outer part of the dough, then roll the stuffed dough towards the handle part of the racket while stretching it as thin as possible.
• Once a layered cylinder forms, stand it on one end then press it down with your fingers until it turns into a disc about ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick. Repeat the procedure to assemble other flatbreads.

Pan-fry the flatbread

• In a large skillet/frying pan, heat oil just enough to cover the entire surface over high heat. Once hot, put in the flatbread. Reduce the heat to medium-low and leave to fry.
• Turn the flatbread over once the first side turns golden. When the second side is done, transfer the flatbread onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.

Video

Notes

1. You may need to adjust the flour-water ratio slightly as it varies depending on the brand of the flour. Also, please be aware that measuring flour by cups is less accurate than measuring it by weight with a kitchen scale. The desired dough is soft to the touch but not sticky.

2. Combine and knead all the ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 8 minutes on low speed until a smooth dough forms. Shape and divide it as instructed.

3. When the dough appears to be sticky, rub a little oil, instead of flour, over the work surface and the dough.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 260mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 72IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 3mg

What are zucchini pancakes

Do you like savory breakfast, as I do? Today’s recipe, Chinese Zucchini Pancakes, is a simple and delightful one to try.

Known as Hú Tā Zi/糊塌子 in Chinese, these humble yet delicious pancakes are a popular dish in the northern regions of China. My mum passed down her recipe to me, and now I cook it regularly for my own children.

Soft and flavorful, zucchini pancakes are reminiscent of Egg & Scallion Crepes, but with the added goodness of vegetables, they are even healthier.

Unlike Jian Bing (Chinese Crepes) or Scallion Pancakes, which require some effort to make, zucchini pancakes are one of the easiest Chinese recipes for total kitchen novices. 

Ingredients

Here is a simple list of ingredients for making Chinese zucchini pancakes.

• Zucchini, aka courgette
• Scallions, aka green onion, spring onion
• Eggs
• All-purpose flour
• Ground Sichuan pepper. This is my family’s favorite spice to season savory pancakes. If unavailable, use white pepper or Chinese five-spice powder to substitute.
• Sesame oil
• Salt
• Neutral cooking oil, for pan-frying. It can be vegetable, canola, sunflower, corn, soybean, rapeseed oil, etc.

🛎 NOTE: You don’t need any water for this batter as the water in the zucchini and eggs are enough to combine the flour.

Cooking process

Step 1: Prepare the vegetables

Wash the zucchini thoroughly to remove any dirt. No need to peel its green skin. Use a grater (or a food processor) with medium holes to thinly shred the zucchini. Use a knife to finely chop the scallions.

Put these two ingredients into a mixing bowl. Stir in salt and Sichuan pepper (or white pepper, five-spice powder). Let sit for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Mix the batter

After 10 minutes, you’ll see quite a bit of liquid extracted from the zucchini.

Add the eggs and sesame oil then stir to incorporate the whites and yolks.

In three batches, stir the flour into the mixture. The consistency of the batter should look quite thick but still spreadable.

Step 3: Pan-fry the pancakes

Add a little cooking oil to a skillet/frying pan. Heat until hot. Pour in some batter.

Spread it to an even thickness with the back of a spoon.

Leave to cook over medium-high until the bottom side turns golden. Use a spatula to flip over the pancake. Cook the second side until it browns a little too.

🛎 EXTRA TIPS:

• You may decide the size of your pancakes (Mine are about 6 in/15 cm in diameter). Keep in mind that it may be a little challenging to flip the pancakes in one piece if they are made too large.
• Adjust the heat as needed. The surface of the pancake should look almost dry when the bottom side is browned to the right shade (neither too pale nor too dark). 

Make ahead

If you plan to have zucchini pancakes first thing in the morning, I suggest you prepare the batter the night before and store it in the fridge.

Since the water in the zucchini will be extracted further over time, the batter will become a little thinner after resting overnight. So use a little more flour than suggested in the recipe. Before pan-frying, mix the batter very well.

Optional dipping sauce

These zucchini pancakes taste wonderful on their own, especially while warm. However, they’re often served with a dipping sauce in restaurants or Chinese households.

My family’s favorite is a simple mixture of black rice vinegar and minced garlic. Or, just dip them in homemade chili oil for an extra kick on the palate. Check out my Dumpling Sauce post for more inspiration, or use any shop-bought sauces that you enjoy (e.g. Laoganma chili sauces).

What to serve with

To accompany zucchini pancakes, my top pick would be Chinese Congee (see image below). A simple soup would be great too, such as Egg Drop Soup, Tomato & Egg Soup, etc.

Alternatively, we use these pancakes as wraps and fill them with protein options such as Char Siu, cooked chicken, ham slices, braised beef shank, etc.

Adapt with other ingredients

This recipe can be altered by adding other ingredients to the batter.

• Vegetable options include carrots, Chinese chives, bean sprouts, spinach, kimchi, onion/shallots (fried in a little oil beforehand), etc.
• Protein options include minced ham, chopped shrimp, crumbled tofu, grated cheese, etc.

🛎 NOTE: When adding extra ingredients to the batter, you may need to add a little more water to adjust the consistency.

Other breakfast recipes

Looking for more Chinese dishes for breakfast/brunch? Check out these popular recipes:

📋 Recipe

Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!

Print

Zucchini Pancakes (糊塌子)

An easy breakfast loaded with nutrients, Chinese zucchini pancakes require minimum effort to make. Make-ahead tips are provided.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Chinese

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Rest 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 23 minutes minutes

Servings 6 pancakes

Calories 88kcal

Author Wei Guo

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini aka courgette, about 10oz (280g) each
• 1 stalk scallions
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper or white pepper, five spice pepper
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• Neutral cooking oil for pan-frying

Optional dipping sauce

• Black rice vinegar
• Minced garlic
• Chili oil

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Grate zucchini with a grater and finely chop scallions. Put them into a mixing bowl.
• Add salt and ground Sichuan pepper (or other spices). Mix well then let it sit for 10 minutes so that some of the water is extracted from the zucchini.
• Crack eggs into the bowl and add sesame oil. Stir to combine with the vegetables.
• In three batches, stir flour into the mixture to form a thick batter. 
• Heat a skillet/frying pan with a little oil until hot. Pour in a portion of the batter (see note 1) then use the back of the spoon to spread and even the surface.
• Leave to cook over medium-high heat until the bottom side becomes golden. Flip over to brown the other side (see note 2). Then repeat the process to finish the batter.
• Make ahead: You can prepare the batter in advance and store it in the fridge overnight. In this case, you’ll need to use a little more flour as there will be more liquid extracted from the zucchini over time.
• Optionally, make a dipping sauce with minced garlic and black rice vinegar. Add some chili oil if you wish.

Notes

1. You can make pancakes of any size you like. Just keep in mind that flipping them over in one piece might be challenging if they’re too big.

2. It took me about 1½ minutes to cook one pancake. The cooking time may vary depending on your cookware and the power of heat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 218mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 164IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

What are bao buns

Broadly speaking, bao buns (or simply “bao/包”) refer to a type of Chinese food made of wheat flour-based, leavened dough filled with savory or sweet fillings. They are mostly steamed but can be pan-fried or baked too.

From savory ones like Steamed Pork Baozi, Char Siu bao, Sheng Jian Bao to sweet ones like Custard Buns, Red Bean Buns, Chinese bao buns are adored by many. They stand out for their fluffy, soft texture and neutral flavor which are quite different from Western-style bread.

This guide is dedicated to steamed, folded bao buns which are the simplest type to make at home. Unlike other types, such as the classic Baozi which come in pleated patterns and with sealed fillings, this version of bao buns is made of the same kind of yeast dough but wraps around the filling like how Mexican tacos work.

Basically, they’re flattened dough folded into a half-circle shape. After steaming, they’re opened up to wrap a variety of fillings (mostly savory but can be sweet) for serving.

In Chinese, they are known as Gua Bao (割包/刈包) or He Ye Bing (荷叶饼) if pressed with a few lines to imitate the look of a lotus leaf.

Ingredient ratio

I recommend you use a kitchen scale when it comes to dough making (especially if you aren’t familiar with this topic). Measuring flour with cups can be problematic as the accuracy isn’t guaranteed.

The chart below explains how much of each ingredient you need to make about 8-12 bao buns (depending on your preferred size).

🛎 Notes:

• The flour-to-water ratio may vary slightly as flour of different brands has different water absorption capacities. The humidity level of your kitchen also matters a little. Adjust if necessary. The dough should be medium soft but not at all sticky.
• If using bread flour, you’d need a little more water as it has a higher gluten content.
• If using dry active yeast, the quantity remains the same. For fresh yeast, please refer to the recommended quantity on the package.
• Sugar is to help the leavening process. It’s fine to omit it or slightly increase its quantity if you prefer a sweet taste.

Prepare the dough

You can make the dough either manually or in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Both ways are straightforward. I’ll first explain how it’s done using instant yeast. Methods using dry active yeast and fresh yeast are explained in the note below.

Option 1: Manual method

• Add the dry ingredients (flour, instant yeast, baking powder and sugar) to a large bowl. Mix well then pour in lukewarm water/milk gradually while stirring with chopsticks or a spatula.
• Then use your hands to combine the lumps to form a rough-looking dough ball. During this process, add a little water or more flour to adjust if necessary.
• The dough should be soft to the touch but doesn’t stick to your hands at all.
• Cover the dough and leave it to rest for 10 minutes or so. Then knead again (for about 2-3 minutes) until the dough becomes very smooth on the surface.

Option 2: Stand mixer method

• Add all the dry and wet ingredients to the mixing bowl. Use the dough hook attachment to mix and knead on low speed for 8-10 minutes.
• Take out the dough and manually knead a few strokes to finish.

🛎 Note:

If using dry active yeast or fresh yeast, you’ll need to mix it with sugar and warm water/milk. Let it sit until the liquid becomes foamy. Then pour the yeast mixture over the flour and baking powder mixture then move on to the kneading procedure.

Make ahead

Bao buns are a great food to make big batches in advance for later usage. Unlike dumplings that are frozen uncooked, you’ll need to freeze these bao buns after they’re cooked (and cooled completely). That is because yeast dough doesn’t rise well after freezing.

• Pack cooked buns in air-tight bags and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• To reheat, you can defrost them in the fridge overnight then steam for 5 minutes. Or, steam them without defrosting for 7 minutes until piping hot.

Serving ideas

There are so many delicious food items that can go into these soft, fluffy bao buns. I encourage you to mix and match without feeling confined to any set ideas.

In general, you can combine any of the following items to fill these buns:

• Proteins: cooked meat (pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck); cooked fish or seafood; cooked or ready-to-eat tofu slices, fried eggs or omelette, etc.
• Vegetables: lettuce leaves, carrots, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, chili pepper, etc.
• Fermented food: pickled mustard greens, kimchi, etc.
• Sprinkles: sesame seeds, toasted nuts, chili flakes, etc.
• Herbs: scallions (green onions), cilantro, basil, etc.
• Sauces: chili oil, pickled chili garlic sauce, black bean sauce, etc.

For inspiration, here are some examples:

• Follow my recipe for Gua Bao to make the classic Taiwanese version with braised pork belly (see image above).
• Use these bao buns, instead of duck pancakes, to wrap Aromatic Crispy Duck (see image below), sliced Peking duck, or roast five-spice chicken/smoked chicken.
• Flavorful, saucy stir-fries, such as Sichuan garlic sauce pork, Peking shredded pork, would make great fillings.
• Fill them with braised beef shank, along with chili pepper and lettuce leaves (see image below).

FAQs (Troubleshooting)

Based on the questions I’ve received regarding dough making, I take this opportunity to list my answers:

Note: This is a revised version of my blog post published in 2017. It provides more tips, substitute ideas, FAQs, and a video. 

What are scallion pancakes

Scallion pancakes, aka green onion pancakes/spring onion pancakes, are a type of pan-fried pastry flavoured with chopped scallions, salt and spices. They are a traditional home-cooked dish in northern China and are also widely available in restaurants and street stalls nationwide.

Although referred to as pancakes in English, they are very different from Western-type pancakes. Instead of a batter, they’re made from a simple flour-water dough with a savoury filling between the layers. For me, “scallion oil flatbread” would be a better translation for its Chinese name Cong You Bing/葱油饼.

Like Shanghai scallion oil noodles and steamed scallion flower rolls, these pancakes are scallion-flavoured and oil-enriched. With a distinctively fragrant and savoury taste, they make a great staple to accompany any dishes, or an eat-alone snack at any time of the day.

Prepare the filling

While waiting for the dough to rest, prepare the filling ingredients.

Scallions

Chop scallions into fine pieces. If they’re quite thick, halve lengthwise then cut. Don’t stint on the quantity. The more the merrier. You may use both the white part and green part, or only the green saving the white for other dishes (e.g. make Chinese scallion oil).

A type of fat

Traditional scallion pancakes call for lard (rendered pork fat) for its thick consistency and flavour. Rendered chicken or duck fat would work too.

For a vegan diet, use coconut oil instead. Alternatively, use any oil available, such as peanut, canola, sunflower, olive, vegetable oil, etc. Sesame oil is an option too but I suggest you reduce the quantity as it has a very strong aroma.

Flour

It’s mixed with the lard/oil to form a paste which helps to laminate layers of the dough. 

Salt & a type of spice

My family love using ground Sichuan pepper for the tingling sensation it creates on the palate. Five-spice powder, cumin powder, and ground black pepper are good choices too.

In a small bowl, combine the fat/oil, flour, salt and spice into a smooth paste. If using lard or coconut oil, melt it first then mix. 

Make ahead

Do you know that uncooked scallion pancakes freeze well? If you plan to eat them regularly, I suggest you make a big batch at once following these steps:

• Multiply the quantity of the ingredients proportionally.
• Make the dough then stuff and shape the pancakes.
• Pile them up using parchment paper to separate each piece to prevent sticking.
• Put them in airtight bags and store in the freezer.

Whenever you fancy a piece, simply pull out one and pan-fry following the same method without defrosting. If your pancakes are on the thick side, add a little water to the pan before you put the lid over the pan. The steam will help cook the middle part thoroughly, just like how you make pan-fried Chinese dumplings.

Recipe FAQs

Other classic staples

📋Recipe card

Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!

Print

Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing, 葱油饼)

An informative guide to homemade scallion pancakes, a layered Chinese flatbread loved for its super crispy, flaky texture and oniony, aromatic taste.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 12 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Rest 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 33 minutes minutes

Servings 4 pancakes

Calories 350kcal

Author Wei Guo

Ingredients

For the dough

• 250 g all-purpose flour (plain flour) about 2 cups (see note 1 for substitutes)
• 160 g hot water about ⅔ cup
• Cooking oil for coating

For the filling

• 2 tablespoon melted lard or coconut oil, see note 2 for other substitutes
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• ¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper or Chinese five-spice powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 40 g finely chopped scallions (green onion/spring onion) about ½ cup

For frying

• 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil

For serving (optional)

• Homemade chilli oil
• Black rice vinegar
• Light soy sauce

Instructions

Make the dough

• Put flour into a heatproof bowl. Pour in hot water. Stir with chopsticks until no more loose flour or water can be seen. Use your hands to combine the mixture into a rough-looking dough (see note 3).
• Tightly cover the dough with cling film and leave to rest for 15 mins.

Prepare the filling

• While waiting, add melted lard (or other oil), flour, Sichuan pepper (or five-spice) and salt to a small bowl. Mix until it becomes a smooth paste.

Shape the pancakes

• Uncover the dough then knead until it becomes very smooth. Rub a thin layer of oil around the dough, as well as the work surface.
• With a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a thin, rectangular piece. For your reference, mine measures about 43cm(17") by 33cm (13").
• Brush the filling mixture over the dough, then sprinkle finely chopped scallions on top.
• From the shorter side of the dough piece, roll the dough into a rope (don’t make it too tight).
• Cut the rope into 4 cylinders. Stand a piece on one end. Press down with your hand, then flatten it with the rolling pin into a pancake that measures around 13cm/5” in diameter. Alternatively, cut the rope into 3 parts and roll each into a thinner pancake which measures about 23cm/9”.

Fry the pancakes

• In a skillet/frying pan, heat oil over high heat until hot. Drop a piece of scallions in to test. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
• Turn the heat down to medium and put in the pancakes (the top side facing down). You may cook 4 thick pancakes all at once in a large pan (28cm/11"), or 1 thin pancake at a time.
• Cover the skillet with a lid and leave to cook for about 2 minutes until the side facing down becomes golden brown (adjust the cooking time if necessary). Flip the pancakes over, then cover again to cook the other side. Remove them from the pan once the second side turns golden too.
• For the best result, rest the pancakes on a wire rack for a minute or two before serving (condensation will form if placed on a plate straightaway). Also, the remaining heat will cook the inside further during the resting time.

Serve

• Best to enjoy them while warm. You can serve them as breakfast/afternoon snack, or as a staple for regular meals with savoury dishes, soup or congee.
• The thick version can be served as it is and torn apart to eat. The thin version is often cut into triangular pieces.
• Although they are tasty on their own, a dipping sauce would make a great accompaniment, e.g. a simple mixture of homemade chilli oil, black rice vinegar and light soy sauce.
• Store leftover pancakes in airtight bags in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan/oven/air-fryer.

Make ahead

• To make a big batch and cook later, double or triple the recipe proportionally. Freeze uncooked pancakes right after they’re rolled out. Pile them up with parchment paper in between and store in sealed plastic bags.
• Cook frozen pancakes without defrosting following the same method. If they’re thick ones, add a little water while cooking with the lid on (like how you make pan-fried dumplings).

Video

Notes

1. You may also use bread flour. The flour to water ratio may vary slightly depending on the brand and type of your flour. Adjust accordingly. The dough should be on the soft side but not sticky.

2. Possible substitutes for lard and coconut include rendered chicken/duck fat, sesame oil, olive oil or other regular cooking oil (peanut, canola, sunflower, vegetable, etc.). Since oil has a runny consistency, they tend to leak while you shape the pancakes. Don’t panic! Messy ones still cook well and taste nice.

3. This dough is very easy to make by hand. However, please feel free to use a stand mixer, especially when making a big batch. Mix flour and hot water on low speed for about 8 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 350kcal

What are duck pancakes

An essential element of the classic Peking duck meal, Peking duck pancakes are known as Chun Bing/春饼 meaning spring pancakes as they’re a traditional food for celebrating the beginning of Spring (Li Chun, 立春). Sometimes they might be referred to as Mandarin pancakes.

Made with wheat flour and water, Peking duck pancakes are cooked either in a steamer or a pan. Compared to the popular tortilla, they are much thinner and have a smoother appearance. Apart from Peking duck, many other Chinese dishes, such as Aromatic Crispy Duck, Moo Shu Pork, Bean Sprout Stir-fry, etc., can be enjoyed inside these pancakes.

This recipe introduces an efficient method to make them in a frying pan (without any oil). It also includes many useful tips to help you succeed. A tutorial video is placed inside the recipe card at the end of the post.

Homemade Peking Duck

Learn the easy way!

Get the recipe

How to store and reheat

You may store leftover Peking duck pancakes in air-tight bags in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 1 month or so. They can be reheated in two ways.

• In a steamer: Steam for 3 minutes if chilled or 6 minutes if frozen.
• In an oven: Defrost first if frozen. Sprinkle a little water between each pancake. Then wrap them in aluminium foil. Put into a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F. Heat for about 6 minutes.

📋 Recipe card

Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!

Print

Peking Duck Pancakes (Chun Bing, 春饼)

Thin, soft and pliable, Peking duck pancakes can be easily made from scratch. They’re perfect wraps for any fillings of your choice.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Rest 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 16 pancakes

Calories 83kcal

Author Wei Guo

Ingredients

• 360 g all-purpose flour (aka plain flour)
• 230 g hot water (just boiled)
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil for brushing

Instructions

Make and rest the dough

• Put flour into a heatproof bowl. Pour in hot water (soon after being boiled). Stir with a pair of chopsticks or a fork until small lumps appear and no more loose flour is left.
• As soon as cool enough to handle, knead the mixture into a soft, smooth dough (You may also use a stand mixer). 
• Keep the dough in the bowl. Brush a thin layer of oil over it to avoid drying out. Cover the bowl with a lid and leave to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Prepare the dough pieces

• Briefly knead the dough again. Then cut it into four equal portions. Roll each portion into a cylinder then divide it into four pieces (You'll end up with 16 pieces). For best results, try your best to divide the dough as evenly as possible.
• Flatten each piece with the palm of your hand into a small disk. Brush the top of one disk with a layer of oil, then place another disk on top. Repeat to pile up every two dough pieces.

Roll and cook the pancakes

• With a rolling pin, flatten one pair of disks until they measure about 18cm/7in (flip several times to ensure that two pieces of dough are evenly rolled out). If necessary, lightly oil the surface and the rolling pin to avoid sticking.
• Heat up a frying pan over medium heat. Transfer the rolled pancakes into the pan. Cover with a lid. As soon as air pockets appear, flip over to cook the other side. Be attentive and adjust the heat if needed. When the pan is too hot, the pancakes will burn easily. If it’s not hot enough, it will take longer to cook and the pancakes will be drier. It should take no more than 2 minutes to cook both sides.
• Transfer the cooked pancakes onto a plate. Cover with a kitchen towel immediately to keep them soft and pliable.
• To be efficient, follow a good workflow to cook the rest of the pancakes: While waiting for one pair to cook, roll out another pair. When the first pair is done, the second pair should be ready for the pan.

Serve and store

• As soon as you finish cooking, separate all the double pancakes into single pieces (Don’t delay this step as they'll become difficult to separate once cooled). Serve them warm with fillings of your choice (check out the recipe for Roast Peking Duck). 
• Store leftover pancakes in airtight bags in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 1 month or so.
• To reheat, Steam for 3 minutes if chilled or 6 minutes if frozen. You may also use an oven: Defrost first if frozen. Sprinkle a little water between each pancake. Then wrap them in aluminium foil. Put into a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F. Heat for about 6 minutes.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 83kcal

Store and reheat

Don’t delay enjoying your freshly cooked custard buns! Silky, semi-runny filling in light, fluffy wrappers, they taste heavenly when hot. Once cooled, the texture will become less pleasurable.

Made a big batch and have some leftovers? Keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. To reheat, defrost the buns in the fridge then steam for 3 mins. Alternatively, steam for 6 mins without defrosting.

🛎 Note: In case you’d like to know, it’s not recommended to freeze uncooked buns as they’re made of leavened dough (unlike dumplings).

Other Classic Treats

Once you’ve mastered the skill of making stuffed buns, you can try other fillings, such as Red Bean Paste, Black Sesame Paste, etc.

Interesting in other Chinese treats and desserts? Check out these recipes:

📋 Recipe card

Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!

Print

Steamed Custard Buns (Nai Wong Bao,奶黄包)

A popular dim sum, steamed custard buns are loved for their fluffy texture and rich flavour. Follow my recipe to make them to a restaurant standard.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Rest 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 8 minutes minutes

Servings 8 buns

Calories 199kcal

Author Wei Guo

Ingredients

For the filling

• 3 yolks of hard-boiled eggs, or cooked salted duck egg yolks see note 1
• 50 g unsalted butter, softened
• 30 g sugar or 40g if using salted egg yolks
• 30 g full-fat milk powder see note 2 for substitutes

For the dough

• 175 g bao flour/cake flour, or all-purpose flour see note 3
• 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast see note 4
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
• 90 g lukewarm water see note 5

Instructions

Prepare the filling

• Use the back of a spoon to mash the yolks to a fine texture (It’s easier to do while the yolks are warm).
• Add sugar, butter and milk powder. Mix very well until a smooth paste forms. Put into the fridge to harden a little.

Make the dough

• IF USING HANDS: Mix flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar and oil in a bowl. Add water gradually while mixing with chopsticks/spatula. Combine with your hands to form a rough-looking dough. Rest (covered) for 10 mins then knead again until very smooth.
• IF USING A STAND MIXER: Add all the ingredients for the dough into the mixing bowl. Knead on low speed for about 8 mins until a smooth dough forms.

Roll the wrappers

• Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Work on one piece at a time and make sure you cover the rest to prevent it from drying out.
• With a rolling pin, flatten one piece into a disc-like wrapper, about 9cm in diameter. Ideally, it should be thinner on the edge and thicker in the middle (See the rolling technique in the video above).

Shape the buns

• Place a spoonful of the filling in the middle of a wrapper. Seal the bun completely using whatever method that you feel most comfortable with. Repeat to assemble all the buns.

Rest the buns

• With the sealed side facing down, place the buns into a steamer basket lined with parchment paper (or in cupcake paper moulds as shown in the post above). Alternatively, brush a thin layer of oil if using a metal/plastic steamer.
• Leave to rest for about 30 minutes until they become very light & plump (They will become a little bigger but not double in size).

Steam the buns

• Bring water to a full boil in a wok/pot. Put in the steamer basket. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 mins. Serve warm.

Store & reheat

• It’s not recommended to store uncooked buns. However, cooked buns freeze very well. Consume within three months.
• To reheat: Defrost in the fridge then steam for 3 mins. Alternatively, steam for 6 mins without defrosting.

Notes

1. There are two ways to cook raw salted duck egg yolks: 

• Option 1: Cook them in the shell in boiling water for 8 minutes. Peel off the shell and the egg whites.
• Option 2: Crack the eggs and rinse off the egg whites. Steam the yolks for 8 minutes or bake them in a preheated oven at 190°C / 375°F for 8 minutes.

2. You may replace milk powder with the traditional style custard powder which contains egg and milk. Bird’s custard powder (a popular brand) is not an ideal substitute as it’s made of cornstarch and flavourings. But it would be OK if you’d like your buns dairy-free.

3. To imitate the restaurant style custard buns, it’s best to use low gluten flour, such as special bao flour (available in Chinese stores) or cake flour which has 7-8g protein per 100g flour. If unavailable, you may use all-purpose flour which has 10-11g protein per 100g flour.

4. Instant dry yeast can be mixed directly with flour. If using active dry yeast which has larger granules, dissolve it in water first then mix with other ingredients.

5. The flour-water ratio may vary slightly depending on the type and brand of your flour. Please feel free to adjust. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bun | Calories: 199kcal

What is shrimp toast

Shrimp toast (蝦多士), also known as sesame prawn toast, is a fusion food originating from Hong Kong where chefs often create dishes that are influenced by both Chinese and western cuisine. Usually served as an afternoon tea treat in Hong Kong, shrimp toast has become popular in overseas Chinese takeaway/takeout or dim sum restaurants.

Although simple in appearance, shrimp toast offers a set of pleasurable flavours: natural sweetness from the shrimp, saltiness from the seasoning and a nutty aroma from the sesame seeds. The texture is great too: crunchy outside but both soft (from the toast) and springy (from the shrimp) inside. So satisfying to eat!

It’s extremely simple to make at home! Spread a layer of shrimp paste (minced raw shrimp with classic Chinese seasonings) over a slice of bread then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Traditionally deep-fried to golden brown, it can also be pan-fried or air-fried, the two methods I’m introducing in today’s recipe.

Ingredients

• Shrimp (or prawns). It needs to be raw, headless, peeled and deveined.
• Egg white. It’s for further tenderizing the shrimp and binding the ingredients.
• Seasonings. They include scallion, ginger, light soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and white pepper.
• Sliced bread: preferably thick ones. Both white and wholemeal are fine.
• Sesame seeds. White, black or a mixture of both
• Neutral cooking oil, for pan-frying or air-frying

🛎 Tips:
Shrimp and prawns are interchangeable for this recipe. If you’re curious as I once was, read this article on The Differences Between Shrimp and Prawns.

Although the traditional recipes call for regular slices of bread for toasting, please feel free to use other types of bread, such as halved baguettes, sliced sourdough bread, etc.

Prepare the bread

Step 1: Make the shrimp paste

Usually, Chinese chefs would use a cleaver to mince the shrimp manually, then mix it with other ingredients. If you have a blender or food processor, just blend shrimp, egg white and seasonings until a smooth, sticky paste forms. Easy peasy!

🛎 Tip: To get an even texture, I suggest you periodically stop the motor and use a spatula to scrape any food down from the side.

Step 2: Assemble the bread

Use a knife or a small spatula to spread a layer of shrimp paste onto a piece of bread. Make sure it reaches all edges. There isn’t a set rule on how thick the paste should be. As a reference, I cover six slices with the paste made of 225g (½ lb) of shrimp.

Please note that the restaurant version of shrimp toast usually uses crustless bread (all four edges trimmed off). I prefer having the crust on as I don’t like the idea of wasting food.

Put sesame seeds onto a flat plate. Place the bread over with the shrimp paste side facing down. Gently press to ensure the seeds stick well to the paste.

Cut the bread diagonally twice to make four triangular pieces (This isn’t a compulsory shape though).

🛎 Tips: You may make the shrimp paste in advance and store it in the fridge for later use. But I suggest you don’t spread it over the bread until you’re ready to cook as the moisture from the paste would make the bread thinner.

Option 1: Pan-frying

Although shrimp toast is traditionally a deep-fried food, I’m introducing two healthier alternative methods in this recipe. You may either shallow-fry them in a pan or cook them in an air fryer.

Heat up oil in a frying pan/skillet over medium heat. You don’t need a lot of oil. Just make sure it covers the surface. Use a sesame seed to test the temperature. If it spins around immediately, it’s time to put in the bread. Fry the sesame side first until it turns golden. Flip over to brown the other side.

Option 2: Air-frying

Preheat your air fryer at 240°C/460°F for 3 mins. While waiting, brush a thin layer of oil over both sides of the bread. Place in a single layer over the crisper tray with the sesame side facing up. Cook for around 3 mins until it browns (As shown in the image above, I cooked a whole piece. You may cut it into triangles too).

🛎 Tips: If you want to try the traditional deep-frying method, heat up the oil to 190°C/375°F then slide in the toast. Frying at a lower temperature would result in a greasier taste.

Other shrimp recipes

Looking for more dishes using shrimp? Check out these recipes:

📋Recipe

Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!

Print

Shrimp Toast (蝦多士), Pan-fried or Air-fried

Deliciously seasoned shrimp paste spread over bread then fried to perfection, shrimp toast can be easily made in two ways.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 8 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Total Time 14 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 369kcal

Author Wei Guo

Ingredients

For the shrimp

• ½ lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 egg white
• 1 stalk scallions finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger julienned
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ⅓ teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground white pepper

You also need

• 6 pieces sliced bread see note 1
• 6 tablespoon sesame seeds
• Neutral cooking oil

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the shrimp paste

• Put all the ingredients for the shrimp into a blender or a food processor. Blend on medium speed until they turn into a fine, sticky paste.

Assemble the bread

• Roughly divide the paste into 6 equal parts. Spread one portion onto a slice of bread, right to the edges (see note 1).
• Put sesame seeds onto a flat plate. With the shrimp paste side down, place the bread over. Gently press with your fingers to ensure sesame seeds are firmly stuck to the paste. Repeat to finish all pieces.
• On a chopping board, cut each piece of bread twice diagonally into 4 triangles.

Fry the bread (see note 2)

• Option #1 Pan-frying: Heat up oil (enough to cover the surface) in a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot enough (use a sesame seed to test. It’s ready if the seed spins around quickly), put in the triangle pieces with the sesame seed side facing down. Flip over when the first side becomes golden. When the other side browns, remove it from the pan.
• Option #2 Air-frying: Preheat the air fryer at 240°C/460°F for 3 mins. Brush a thin layer of oil over both sides of the bread. When the air fryer is ready. Place in a single layer over the crisper tray with the sesame side facing up. Cook for around 3 mins until it browns.

Video

Notes

1. This recipe uses square-shaped sliced bread for toasting. You may also use other types of bread and cut them into slices. I like leaving the crust on, but feel free to trim it off if you prefer.
2. You may also try the traditional approach, deep-frying, if you wish. In this case, you would need a sufficient amount of oil and I suggest you put the bread in when the temperature reaches 190°C/375°F.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 369kcal

What do Chinese eat for breakfast? This is a question that I’m often asked. There is no short answer as the choices are diverse and regional. Here are some characteristics of Chinese breakfast that may help you to get an idea:

• Most of the breakfast foods are savoury with many heavily seasoned/spiced. But sweet dishes exists too.
• Starch-based dishes are the most popular type, such as noodles, congee, dumplings, plain or stuffed buns and bing/饼 (oven or pan-baked flatbread), etc.
• Deep-fried items are popular with Chinese doughnut stick being the most typical example.
• Eggs are cooked and seasoned in many different ways.
• Soybean-based food, such as soy milk, tofu pudding, etc. are widely enjoyed.
• Meat appears in many dishes, in dumpling fillings or as a noodle topping, but it’s rarely eaten on its own for breakfast.

In China, buying breakfasts at street stalls or small restaurants is very common. If like me, you don’t have easy access to ready-to-eat choices, make some yourself!

I’ve curated the following 16 classic breakfast recipes with make-ahead tips to speed up the cooking time on busy mornings.

Scallion Pancake (葱油饼)

Known as Cong You Bing in Chinese, scallion pancakes are beautifully seasoned and pan-fried to a flaky, crispy texture. Other variations include Oven-baked Scallion Bread and Pan-baked Scallion flatbread.

⭐️ Tip: Keep assembled, uncooked scallion pancakes in the freezer. Pan-fry them without defrosting in a little oil over medium heat.

Chinese Meat Pies (馅饼)

With their juicy filling encased in golden wrappers and pan-fried to perfection, Chinese meat pies (known as Xiàn Bǐng/馅饼) are a delightful staple that you simply must try.

⭐️ Tip: Freeze uncooked meat pies. Pan-fry them for a few minutes with a little oil.

Crispy Stuffed Flatbread (锅盔)

Known as Guo Kui/锅盔 in Chinese, crispy stuffed flatbread features flaky, layered dough stuffed with a meat filling that is generously seasoned with scallions and Sichuan pepper, a mouth-numbing spice unique to Chinese cuisine. 

⭐️ Tip: Resting the dough properly increases its elasticity, making assembly much easier.

Note: This is a revised version of my post published in 2018. It provides more detailed instructions and tips.

What are Chinese doughnut sticks

“What do Chinese families have for breakfast?” This is a question that I’ve been asked many times and I often find it difficult to answer. There are just too many varieties! However, if I had to choose one particular dish, Chinese doughnut sticks (Youtiao, 油条) would be the one synonymous with breakfast across the country. 

Essentially, it’s deep-fried, leavened dough that has a slightly salty, alkaline flavour and an airy, fluffy texture, In English, a variety of words are used to name it, such as Chinese cruller, Chinese oil stick, Chinese donut, Chinese fried dough stick, Chinese churro, etc.

As a child, I always loved watching the street vendors frying up doughnut sticks. It’s fascinating to see thin strips of dough magically expand to chunky sticks in just a few seconds.

Making doughnut sticks isn’t a popular home cooking practice in China because 1) It’s time-consuming. 2) It requires good attention to detail to get it right.

But don’t let these statements stop you from trying, especially if you’re like me who has no chance to buy it but still crave it for an occasional treat. It’s truly a labour of love. When I had the first bite of my homemade one, I knew that it was worth all the effort!

Top tips for success

Well-cooked doughnut sticks should be light, airy and slightly chewy. To achieve the desired texture, I suggest you follow the recipe “to the letter”. Before I explain each step in detail, allow me to summarise a few things that you need to pay attention to:

• Use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients as it’s so much more accurate this way than using cups.
• This recipe makes a high-hydration dough (very soft) which contributes to a light and airy texture. It might be a little messy to handle but try not to alter the flour-water ratio.
• The dough needs to be rested for at least 2 hours. If kept in the fridge overnight, you must allow it to come back to room temperature before deep-frying.
• Oil temperature control is very important so using a kitchen thermometer greatly increases your chance of success.

Ingredients

To find the dough formula that creates the most light and airy doughnut sticks, I’ve done extensive tests on the ingredient choices and ratios. Eventually, I settled down with this list (For making 10-12 sticks):

• 400g all-purpose flour/plain flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda, optional
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten, plus water combined to 250g
• 2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil, plus a little for coating

Here are a few notes you might find helpful:

• Baking soda isn’t compulsory for this recipe. It helps to brown the sticks during deep frying. Also, it adds a little alkaline taste which is part of the flavour profile. Do not increase its quantity though as this leads to a soapy taste.
• You may use eggs of any size as long as the combined weight of eggs and water reaches 250g.
• Melted butter or coconut oil can be substitute for regular cooking oil.

Cooking procedure

Step 1: Make the dough

Due to its high-hydration nature, this dough is a little tricky to prepare. But don’t be discouraged, here are a few tips to help you out.

• If using a stand mixer: combine and knead all the ingredients on low speed for about 8 minutes. Rub a little oil on your hands to remove it from the bowl.
• If preparing manually: use a silicon spatular to mix and combine all the ingredients into a rough-looking dough. Cover and rest for 15 mins. Coat your hands with some oil. Use your fist to press the dough. Then use your fingers to fold it from the side towards the centre. Repeat the movement until the dough becomes smooth.

🛎 Tip: For best result, it’s important that all the ingredients are well combined and the dough is kneaded to an even and smooth texture. A little oil helps to prevent sticking and the more you knead, the less sticky it’ll become.

Step 2: Rest the dough

Divide the dough into two pieces. Then shape them in your hands (use a little oil if it sticks) into two smooth balls. Coat them thoroughly with oil. Cover with cling film to rest.

You may either let the dough rest for 2-4 hours at room temperature or in the fridge overnight (since it’s a breakfast item, you might want to cook it in the morning). If you choose the latter, remember to bring the dough back to room temperature before frying (leave in a warm place for at least 1 hour). Otherwise, it won’t puff up as desired.

Step 3: Shape the dough

Now your dough pieces should be very soft and flexible. Gently transfer them (do not knead again) onto a surface dusted with flour. Use your hand to shape them into two rectangles (about 10×25 cm/4×10 inch each).

Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Then cut each rectangle crosswise into 10 equal strips (use a long, sharp knife to make it neat).

Lay one strip of dough on top of another. Press the centre with a chopstick lengthways to stick them together. Repeat the procedure with the rest of the dough pieces.

🛎 Tip: I use a 30cm/12in wok for deep-frying. If your cookware is smaller, reduce the length of the dough strips (it should measure around one-third of the diameter of your cookware).

Step 4: Deep fry

Start heating up the deep-frying oil while you’re shaping the dough as it takes a while to reach the desired temperature.

Once the oil reaches 190°C/374°F, turn the heat down to low. Gently stretch the dough then carefully lower it into the oil (be careful not to splash).

The dough will come up to the surface within a few seconds. Roll it around continuously with a pair of chopsticks. Once it stops expanding and becomes evenly golden, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper (to soak up excess oil).

Repeat the procedure to cook the rest of the dough. You may cook two sticks at the same time, but do not fry more at once since this will decrease the oil temperature too much.

🛎 Tip: Doughnut sticks fry well when the oil temperature is between 190°C/374°F and 200°C/392°F. At a lower temperature, the dough will come out dense and oily, whereas at a higher temperature it might have the middle part undercooked while the outside is already brown enough.

Note: I’ve been asked if air-frying can be an alternative way to cook Chinese doughnut sticks. Unfortunately, the answer is no. However, you may use an air-fryer to reheat leftover ones.

What to serve with

Chinese doughnut stick tastes wonderful on its own. You may also dip it into soy milk, a little soy sauce, or condensed milk if you fancy something sweet. I personally like eating it with a little fermented bean curd (Fu Ru/腐乳). Jian Bing and Fan Tuan, another two classic breakfasts, uses doughnut stick as filling.

Other breakfast recipes

Looking for more classic Chinese breakfast dishes? Here are a few examples:

• Chicken & Mushroom Congee (鸡肉粥)
• Crispy Stuffed Flatbread (锅盔)
• Steamed Flower Rolls (花卷)
• Scallion Pancakes (葱油饼)
• Jian Bian, Chinese Crepe (煎饼)
• Steamed Eggs (蒸蛋羹)

📋 Recipe

Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!

Print

Chinese Doughnut Sticks (Youtiao, 油条)

A comforting breakfast staple loved by many, Chinese doughnut sticks (Youtiao) are light, airy and pleasantly chewy. Follow my recipe to make it at home without fail.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Rest 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings 10 sticks

Calories 230kcal

Author Wei Guo

Ingredients

For the dough

• 400 g all-purpose flour/plain flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda optional, see note 1
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten, plus water combined to 250g see note 2
• 2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil plus some for coating

You also need:

• Flour for dusting
• Oil for deep-frying see note 3

Instructions

Make the dough

• With a stand mixer: Add flour, baking powder, baking soda (if using), salt, the egg water mixture and oil into the bowl. Mix and knead on low speed for about 8 minutes. Rub a little oil on your hands (to prevent sticking) and remove the dough.
• Manually: use a silicon spatular to mix and combine all the ingredients into a rough-looking dough. Cover and rest for 15 mins. Coat your hands with oil (to prevent sticking). Use your fist to press the dough. Then use fingers to fold the dough from the side towards the centre. Repeat the movement until the dough becomes smooth (at this stage it should be soft but not sticky).

Rest the dough

• Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape each one into a smooth ball. Coat with oil then cover with cling film. 
• Rest the dough for 2-4 hours at room temperature. Or, keep it in the fridge overnight. The next morning, wait for at least 1 hour until it comes back to room temperature.

Shape the sticks

• Before handling the dough, start heating up the oil for deep frying.
• Transfer the dough pieces onto the work surface (or a chopping board) dusted with flour. Use your hands to flatten each piece into a rectangle shape (about 10×25 cm/4×10 inch). Remember not to knead it again but handle it gently.
• Lightly dust the dough with flour to prevent sticking. Then cut each piece into 10 equal strips.
• Lay one strip on top of another. Press the centre with a chopstick lengthways to stick them together. Repeat the procedure with the rest of the dough pieces (dust with flour where necessary).

Fry the sticks

• Once the oil reaches 190°C/374°F (see note 4), turn the heat down to low. Gently stretch the dough then carefully lower it into the oil (be careful not to splash).
• When it comes up to the surface, roll it around continuously with a pair of chopsticks. Once the dough stops expanding and is evenly golden, transfer it to a plate lined with kitchen paper (to soak up excess oil).
• Repeat the procedure to cook the rest of the dough. You may cook two sticks at the same time, but do not fry more at once since this will decrease the oil temperature too much.

Store & reheat

• Doughnut sticks taste best when warm. You may store leftovers in an airtight bag in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for 2 months.
• Reheat the chilled ones in a frying pan (without oil) over low heat until warm. Flip several times to heat evenly.
• For frozen ones, you may heat it up in the oven (preheated at 180°C/ 356°F) for 5 mins without defrosting. Or defrost first then warm up in a frying pan.

Notes

1. Baking soda helps to brown the doughnut sticks during deep frying and adds a little alkaline taste. Please feel free to skip it if unavailable.

2. Regardless of the size of your eggs, the total weight of the eggs and water should be 250g. That is to say, if you use small-sized eggs, you’d need more water. Whereas using large eggs, you’d need less water.

3. Use a wok or deep pot for deep-frying. Depending on the size of your cookware, the oil quantity varies. You’d need some depth of oil to successfully reproduce this recipe.

4. It’s best to use a kitchen thermometer. Otherwise, use a small piece of dough to test first. When the temperature is high enough, the dough should come up to the surface very quickly (in 3 seconds or so).

Nutrition

Serving: 1stick | Calories: 230kcal