Pan-Fried Pork & Cabbage Buns 生煎包

I love Taiwanese night markets - not only is there a huge variety of food to choose from, they are always freshly made and delicious. We can get a bit of this and that, and just walk and eat, and eat, and eat. One never fails to find this type of pan-fried bun in night markets, with various filling options and long lines forming at the popular stalls. This bun is also widely found and well-loved in the Jiangnan/Shanghai region in China. Its key characteristics are the thin dough skin, juicy filling and crispy bottom.

This relatively simple skin is made from semi-fermented dough - all-purpose flour with yeast added and fermented for a short period of time. Baking powder is also added to give the dough a little boost to achieve a lighter and fluffier texture. Using all-purpose flour (higher protein content) yields buns with a slightly chewier texture compared to buns made with lower protein flour (like cake/bao flour in a previous recipe).

In this recipe, I have used ground pork, cabbage and scallion for the filling. However you may replace them with fillings of your choice, like shrimp, chinese chives or even make it vegetarian (dried shiitake mushrooms is a good meat alternative). To improve the "juiciness" of the filling, water is added to ground pork and "whipped" to help the meat absorb water. One good reason to eat this bun while it's fresh and hot is to enjoy the juicy filling, though be careful not to get burnt.

Finally, to cook them, first pan-fry these buns to get the crispy golden-brown bottoms, and then add water and cover with a lid to "steam" them. I used to wonder if the buns will become soggy since they are partially soaked in water for a while....the answer is "No", they turn out fine. Finally when the buns are ready, remove the lid and make sure the bottoms are nice, dry and crispy before removing them from heat.


Notes on possible recipe variations:
a) Yeast vs baking powder: some recipes rely purely on yeast for the rise and do not add baking powder. If you prefer to omit baking powder, just extend the dough's resting time from 30 min to 1 hour in Step 3 below.

b) More juicy buns: some recipes request for soup to be boiled from pork skin or leg bones. Due to the high collagen content, this soup becomes gelatin (jelly-like) when chilled and can be easily included in the filling. After the buns are wrapped and steamed, the gelatin inside melts, resulting in more juices in the bun. The concept is very similar to how xiao long bao (soup dumplings) are made. This method takes the already-delicious buns to the next level but requires more effort - I have not adopted it here.

RECIPE FOR PAN-FRIED BUNS

Makes 12 buns

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Ingredients

(A) Filling
200g ground pork
150g cabbage, chopped finely
40g scallion, chopped
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp chinese rice wine
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp water

(B) Dough
300g plain/all-purpose flour
2g (1/2 tsp) instant yeast
4g (1 tsp) baking powder
6g (1.5 tsp) vegetable oil
165ml water

(C) Cooking
1 tbsp oil for pan-frying
240ml (1 cup) water to steam buns


Steps:

1) Mix well the filling ingredients (A) in a bowl. With a pair of chopsticks, stir quickly in one direction to help the ground pork absorb water. Chill in fridge till ready to use.

2) Add the dough ingredients (B) in a large bowl. Slowly add water and mix well with the rest of the ingredients. Knead with hands till dough is smooth.
(Tip: If you find the dough a little tough to knead, let it rest for 10 minutes before kneading. Cover dough with inverted large bowl to avoid dehydration.)

3) Place dough in large bowl and covered with plastic wrap or damp cloth. Leave dough to rest for 20-30 minutes.

4) Roll the dough into log shape before dividing into 12 portions (35-40g each). If needed, lightly dust work surface with some flour.
- Flatten each portion into a 4 inch (10 cm) circle with a rolling pin - roll edges thinner than center.
- Place a heap of filling on each circle & pleat the buns (see this video on how to pleat them).
- Rest the buns for 5-10 minutes.

5) Over medium heat, add 1 tbsp cooking oil to a large flat pan. Arrange the buns in a single layer and pan-fry till bottom of buns turn golden brown.

6) Add 240ml (1 cup) water to pan and cover with lid to steam the buns. Steam the buns over medium heat till water evaporates. Remove lid and allow any remaining water to dry-up, remove buns from pan and serve hot.

Optional: you may enjoy these buns with black vinegar or hot sauce.