These pan-fried buns are a regular star on our family table. Ever since I first made them successfully, the kids have been requesting them often, and I love preparing them for a weekend breakfast or brunch.
What is Shui Jian Bao
Shui Jian Bao (literally translated as “water-fried buns”) is a beloved Chinese savory pastry that hails from Northern China, with iconic regional variations (like Henan-style ice crystal shui jian bao and Shanghai-style pan-fried buns).
It’s a clever fusion of steaming and frying, resulting in a unique texture that’s crispy on the bottom, soft and fluffy on the top, and juicy on the inside.
What I adore most about these shui jian bao is the golden, crispy “skirt” on the bottom—it’s just like the perfectly golden, lacy crust you find on restaurant-style crispy dumplings. It’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
About the filling:
Please don’t be intimidated by the slightly long ingredient list.
I use mostly common pantry staples from Chinese cooking.
If you can’t find something, you can easily adjust or substitute based on what you have—the joy of home cooking lies in its flexibility.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the Dough:
- All-Purpose Flour – This is the perfect flour for the job. It gives the bun wrapper enough structure to hold the filling and create pleats, while remaining tender after steaming. Bread flour would make it too chewy, and cake flour too delicate.
- Warm Water – The temperature is important. Water around 30-35°C (85-95°F) is warm enough to actively wake up the yeast and get it working quickly, but not so hot that it kills it.
- Sugar – We use just a tiny amount. Its main job here is to give the yeast a quick, easy meal to kickstart the fermentation process for our relatively short proofing time.
- High-Activity Yeast – The engine of our dough. You can mix it directly into the dry ingredients—no need to dissolve it in water first. Instant yeast is a perfect 1:1 substitute and works exactly the same way.
For the Filling:
- Sweet Potato Glass Noodles (Cellophane Noodles) – These are essential for texture. When soaked, they become wonderfully slippery and chewy, adding a unique mouthfeel and helping to bind the filling with their starch. Be sure to drain them very well.
- Firm Tofu (Dried Tofu or Pressed Tofu) – I recommend using a firmer, pressed tofu variety. It holds its cube shape beautifully, adds a pleasant, meaty bite, and soaks up all the savory sauces. Fried tofu puffs or smoked tofu are excellent, flavorful substitutes.
- Chinese Chives – They provide the classic, pungent, garlicky aroma that defines this filling. The key is to wash and dry them thoroughly before chopping, and to add them last to the filling mix.
- Dark Soy Sauce – We use this only for color.
- Oyster Sauce – This is our primary source of deep, savory-sweet umami.
- Thirteen-Spice Powder – This is a wonderfully complex Chinese spice blend. If you don’t have it, five-spice powder is a fantastic and more common substitute that will still give great depth of flavor.
For the Crystal Skirt:
- Starch & Flour Slurry – This is the secret to the lace. A combination of starch (corn or potato) and all-purpose flour mixed with water creates a slurry that, when cooked, dehydrates into that crisp, delicate web.
How to Make Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns (Shui Jian Bao)
1. Prepare the Dough
In a bowl, mix warm water, sugar, and yeast until dissolved (~1 minute).
Pour into a bowl with flour, stir with chopsticks until a crumbly dough forms.
Knead by hand for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and glossy (“bowl smooth, hands smooth, dough smooth”).
Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and proof over warm water (~30°C) for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the Filling
Soak sweet potato starch in boiling water for 5 minutes until softened. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add dark soy sauce 3 ml and cooking oil 10 ml; mix well.
Add diced tofu cubes.
Then add light soy sauce 10 ml, salt 3 g, Shisan Xiang 1 g, chicken bouillon 2 g, and oyster sauce 8 ml. Mix thoroughly (~2 minutes).
Add chopped chives and quickly mix (~30 seconds). The filling is ready. (Avoid letting chives sit too long in the mixture.)
3. Shape & Fill the Buns
Take the proofed dough, press gently to release air bubbles.
Roll into a log and divide into 12 equal portions (~35 g each).
Flatten one portion, thin the edges (~0.3 cm), place ~20 g filling in the center. Pinch edges together and shape into half-moon or round buns. Repeat for all buns.
4. Frying & Creating the “Ice Flower”
Heat a skillet with 15 ml cooking oil over medium heat. Place buns with 1 cm spacing. Fry on low for 3 minutes until bottoms are lightly golden.
Mix starch 15 g, flour 15 g, and water 150 ml until fully dissolved.
Slowly pour slurry around buns until it covers 1/3 of the bottom. Cover and cook on medium heat for 8 minutes until water mostly absorbs.
When water is nearly gone, drizzle remaining 15 ml oil along pan edges. Continue on low for 2 minutes until fully absorbed and golden, crispy “ice flower” forms.
5. Serve
Turn off heat.
Place a large plate upside-down over the skillet.
In one confident motion, flip the skillet and plate over together. Lift the skillet away to reveal your buns perfectly transferred, crispy skirt gloriously on top.
Tips & Tricks
- Dry Your Chives Completely: Any residual water on the chives will seep into the filling, making it wet and difficult to seal, and can cause the buns to stick or tear during cooking. A salad spinner is your best friend here.
- The Slurry is a Last-Minute Step: Mix the starch, flour, and water just before you pour it into the pan. If it sits, the starch will settle and you won’t get an even, crisp skirt.
- Don’t Crowd the Pan: Giving the buns a little space allows heat and steam to circulate evenly, ensuring they cook through and the skirt forms beautifully between them.
- The Right Heat is Crucial: Start with low heat to brown the bottoms without burning, then medium heat to build steam pressure, and finish with low heat to crisp the skirt without over-darkening it.
Frequently Asked Questions
My crystal skirt didn’t form / it’s patchy and stuck to the pan.
This usually means 1) The slurry wasn’t mixed well enough (lumps prevent even cooking), 2) The heat was too high at the end, burning the starch before it could form a lace, or 3) You didn’t let it cook long enough uncovered at the end for all the water to evaporate. Ensure the slurry is smooth, and follow the heat/timing instructions closely.
Can I freeze uncooked buns?
Absolutely! After shaping, place the unbaked buns on a parchment-lined tray and freeze until solid. Then transfer to a freezer bag.
To cook, place the frozen buns directly in the pan. You will need to add 1-2 extra minutes to the initial browning time and 2-3 extra minutes to the covered steaming time. Add a small splash of extra water along with the slurry.
Easy Shui Jian Bao Recipe – Crispy Bottom, Soft & Fluffy Buns
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 180 g warm water 30-35°C / 85-95°F
- 3 g granulated sugar
- 3 g high-activity or instant yeast
- 300 g all-purpose flour
For the Filling
- 50 g sweet potato glass noodles cellophane noodles
- 100 g firm tofu dried/pressed tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
- 150 g Chinese chives finely chopped
- 10 ml light soy sauce
- 3 ml dark soy sauce
- 3 g salt
- 1 g thirteen-spice or five-spice powder
- 2 g chicken bouillon powder optional, or substitute with vegetarian powder
- 8 ml oyster sauce or vegetarian stir-fry sauce
- 10 ml neutral cooking oil like vegetable or canola
For the Crystal Skirt & Cooking
- 15 g cornstarch or potato starch
- 15 g all-purpose flour
- 150 ml water
- 30 ml neutral cooking oil divided
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- In a bowl, mix warm water, sugar, and yeast until dissolved (~1 minute).
- Pour into a bowl with flour, stir with chopsticks until a crumbly dough forms.
- Knead by hand for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and glossy (“bowl smooth, hands smooth, dough smooth”).
- Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and proof over warm water (~30°C) for 30 minutes.
Prepare the Filling
- Soak sweet potato starch in boiling water for 5 minutes until softened. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add dark soy sauce 3 ml and cooking oil 10 ml; mix well.
- Add diced tofu cubes.
- Then add light soy sauce 10 ml, salt 3 g, Shisan Xiang 1 g, chicken bouillon 2 g, and oyster sauce 8 ml. Mix thoroughly (~2 minutes).
- Add chopped chives and quickly mix (~30 seconds). The filling is ready. (Avoid letting chives sit too long in the mixture.)
Shape & Fill the Buns
- Take the proofed dough, press gently to release air bubbles.
- Roll into a log and divide into 12 equal portions (~35 g each).
- Flatten one portion, thin the edges (~0.3 cm), place ~20 g filling in the center. Pinch edges together and shape into half-moon or round buns. Repeat for all buns.
Frying & Creating the “Ice Flower”
- Heat a skillet with 15 ml cooking oil over medium heat. Place buns with 1 cm spacing. Fry on low for 3 minutes until bottoms are lightly golden.
- Mix starch 15 g, flour 15 g, and water 150 ml until fully dissolved.
- Slowly pour slurry around buns until it covers 1/3 of the bottom. Cover and cook on medium heat for 8 minutes until water mostly absorbs.
- When water is nearly gone, drizzle remaining 15 ml oil along pan edges. Continue on low for 2 minutes until fully absorbed and golden, crispy “ice flower” forms.
Serve
- Turn off heat.
- Place a large plate upside-down over the skillet. In one confident motion, flip the skillet and plate over together. Lift the skillet away to reveal your buns perfectly transferred, crispy skirt gloriously on top.
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