No yeast, no gluten, no fuss—these chewy bao are packed with savory filling and made with glutinous rice flour. Perfect for a comforting meal or snack.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Chinese
Prep Time 40 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Servings 5
Calories 383kcal
Ingredients
Dough:
250gglutinous rice flour
125grice flour
200–250ml wateradd gradually and adjust as needed
Filling:
500gwhite radish1 root, peeled and grated
150gpork30% fat, 70% lean, diced separately
5dried shiitake mushroomssoaked and diced
3clovesgarlicminced
30gChinese leekcan substitute green onion
2tablespoonspapery dried shrimp
chopped scallionsto taste (added at the end)
Seasoning:
10gsaltfor salting radish
2tablespoonslight soy sauce
1tablespoondark soy sauce
1tablespoonoyster sauce
white pepperto taste (optional)
cooking oilas needed
Instructions
Prep the radish and pork:
Peel and grate the white radish, place it in a large bowl, sprinkle with 10g salt, and mix evenly. Let sit for 5–8 minutes to draw out moisture. Wearing gloves or using a cloth, squeeze out the liquid from the radish thoroughly and set aside.
Separate pork fat and lean meat, dice both.
Finely chop the Chinese leek.
Cook the filling:
In a pan, add a bit of oil and cook fatty pork over low heat until it renders and turns golden. Add lean pork and stir-fry until it changes color. Add shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and sauté until fragrant. Pour in soy sauces and oyster sauce, mixing well.
Add leek, radish, and dried shrimp, toss together quickly. Let cool (you can refrigerate to speed this up).
Make the dough (critical step!):
Combine glutinous rice flourand rice flour in a large bowl. Gradually pour in water while stirring with chopsticks until clumpy. Knead into a rough dough (adjust water as needed—final dough should be soft, pliable, not sticky).
Take 1/4 of the dough, roll into a ball, and boil until it floats and turns translucent (~2 minutes). Add it back to the main dough and knead while still hot until fully incorporated and smooth.
Shape the bao:
Divide the dough into 60g portions. Roll each into a ball, press a deep dent in the center with your thumb, and thin the edges to form a small bowl shape.
Fill with cooled filling, press down to remove air pockets, and seal the top by pinching or rounding—shape them round, flat, or dumpling-style.
Steam:
Line each bao with parchment paper and place with 2cm spacing in a steamer. Bring water to a boil, then steam for 12 minutes(adjust time for size). Finished bao should appear glossy and slightly translucent on the surface.