Cabbage Pork Buns

A Perfect Balance of Veggies and Meat

The Cantonese pay close attention to the oiliness of their cuisine, aiming to strike a perfect balance between rich flavor and little greasy texture and taste. To achieve this, Cantonese-style buns often utilize the complementary characteristics of vegetables and meats within a single dish. For this cabbage pork bun recipe in particular, the greasiness and texture of the pork is offset by the sweet water chestnut, refreshing carrot, and soft cabbage – however, the flavors of the vegetables are not strong enough to overpower the delicious taste and enticing aroma of the pork.

Cantonese Cabbage Pork Buns at Family Brunch

Ingredients

4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour
5 ⅓ ounce (150 grams) streaky pork
1/3 cup (50 grams) green onion stalks
1/3 cup (50 grams) water chestnut
1/3 cup (40 grams) carrot
1/8 of a small head (100 grams) cabbage

Seasonings

1 teaspoon (3 grams) yeast
2 teaspoons (8 grams) white sugar
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
1 teaspoon (5 grams) chicken extract
2 teaspoons (10 mL) sesame oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams) oyster sauce
water-starch mixture, as needed

Please see measurements in grams to be more exact for all ingredients and seasonings.

Cooking Directions

Preparations

Wash the pork, and chop into cubes. Wash and peel the water chestnuts and carrots, and chop into small pieces. Wash the green onions, leaving the white stalks, and chop into pieces. Wash the cabbage and chop into pieces.

How to make the filling

Place the pork and water chestnuts into a large bowl. Allow the cabbage, green onions, and carrots to dry before placing them into the bowl as well. Mix in the sesame oil, chicken extract, sugar, salt, and oyster sauce. Finally add the water-starch mixture, stirring in one direction until well-mixed, to finish making the filling.

Tip: If the moisture is not removed from the vegetables, the buns are likely to fall apart and leak filling.

How to make the dough

Use one cup (250 milliliters) of water to boil the yeast, and mix in sugar. Sprinkle the yeast mixture onto the flour, and stir evenly in one direction until a doughy consistency and shine is achieved. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for around 40 minutes, until the dough has risen to double its original volume.

How to assemble pork buns

Separate the dough into long, even pieces of approximately 1 ounce (30 grams). Flatten each piece into a dough wrapper of medium thickness.

Add an appropriate amount of filling to each dough wrapper, pinching the dough closed over top of the filling.

Put it all together

Place oil paper or a damp cloth into a steamer, and place the buns on top, making sure to leave space between buns. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Add water to the steamer pot, and place into the steamer. Bring to boil, and then back off to medium heat, allowing the buns to cook for approximately 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the buns to sit for an additional 3 minutes.