Steamed buns are one of my all-time favorite foods because of how soft and sweet they are. These are inspired by some delicious steak buns that I had in Hong Kong a long time ago. They came with an amazing peanut sauce for dunking and I still dream about them.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 8 buns |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 10 turns black pepper
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
- One 14-ounce can coconut milk, well shaken before opening
- 1 pound flank steak
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- Neutral oil, for the bowl
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, for brushing
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter, preferably natural/no added sugar
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno (seeds removed)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- Bread and butter pickles, for serving
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
Instructions
- For the meat and marinade: Combine the sambal, honey, curry powder, salt, black pepper, garlic and approximately two-thirds of the coconut milk (make sure you SHAKE WELL before opening the can) in a bowl and whisk together (reserve the remaining coconut milk for the peanut sauce). Submerge the flank steak in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- For the bun dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, yeast and salt and whisk to combine. Add the water and shortening and mix for 10 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl and let sit until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
- Cut eight 3-inch squares of parchment paper. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a flat oval, about 6 inches by 3 inches. Brush with sesame oil, fold in half and place on a parchment square. Set the buns in a bamboo steamer 1 inch apart, cover and allow the buns to proof in the steamer in a warm place (or just on the countertop), until doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes.
- For the peanut sauce: Meanwhile, combine the reserved coconut milk, peanut butter, sambal, jalapeno and soy sauce and whisk until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water. Reserve at room temperature until serving. (If you make it ahead of time, refrigerate the sauce but take out in time for it to come to room temperature before serving, or it will be very thick.)
- Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
- Remove the meat from the marinade and brush off any excess. When the grill is very hot, grill the meat to desired doneness, 4 to 8 minutes on each side is good for medium rare, depending on thickness. Let rest for at least 10 minutes so the juices can settle.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Steam the buns over the boiling water until puffy and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Slice the meat thinly against the grain. Serve the buns right out of the steamer with the sliced meat, peanut sauce, pickles, extra sambal, cilantro and salt to taste.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 911 |
| Total Fat | 75 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Cholesterol | 39 mg |
| Sodium | 768 mg |
Reviews
These were so good! We made 2 batches and they turned out perfectly! We did some with pickles, and some with thinly sliced cucumbers- the pickles were the favorite.
I would give this 6 stars if I could-phenomenal! My first time making bao buns and they were fantastic. The slightly sweet, soft bun with the savory steak and spicy sauce-completely addictive. I think this is a terrific recipe to make with kids. The dough was easy to work with and the results were amazing.
Can you make regular dinner rolls out of this recipe? If so, what temperature would you bake them at?
This is excellent!!!! The sauce is boss!!!
The buns came out great but were too sweet for me. Next time, I will use half as much sugar. I used cucumber slices instead of pickles, and I didn’t care all that much for the peanut sauce, I have a much better recipe for that. The flank steak was very tasty and very tender cooked just for 5 minutes on each side. The texture of the bun was right on point!!!!
Wow this was good! I used tofu instead of steak, and it was delicious. I struggled with the dough though. I was very wet after rising, and now way could I roll and fold the buns. So I just steamed 8 blobs. Tasted great but didn’t look right. I did use ghee instead of shortening, so I bet that was the issue.
What a fun recipe to introduce me to the world of steamed buns! I did get confused about the coconut milk measurement and ended up dumping the when can into my marinade mix for the meat lol, though I’d read through the recipe a couple of times. Lesson learned. The meat still turned out great! The steamed buns nerve wracking for me but so worth it. They didn’t rise a whole lot during the second rise after shaping and putting in the steam basket to rise but when I put them over the pot to actually steam and cook, they rose more and cooked through. They’re deceiving because they are glossy and don’t look baked, I had to pull one out and cut into it to see that it was done.. perfect air pockets, chewy, sweet and fluffy. Definitely will make again
The only reason I’m giving this 4 stars is because I feel that the coconut milk measurements should’ve been included in both the marinade and the peanut sauce to minimize confusion. I ended up dumping the whole can of coconut milk to make the marinade, which left me none for the sauce. Granted, I probably should have read the recipe before making the marinade, but I still think it would be better to list the measurements. Otherwise, delicious!
These were delicious! Loved the flavor of the marinated flank steak and the buns were so easy to make and came out pillowy soft! My family ate every last bite. Next time I’ll make more buns…so good! Thank you!