HOW TO MAKE BAKED BBQ PORK BUNS (CANTONESE CHAR SIU BAO) 

Hi everybody! 👋 Welcome back to my channel, Cooking with Wah Jai
Today, I’ll be showing you how to make delicious baked barbecue pork buns (叉烧包) — super soft, fluffy, and filled with that rich, flavorful char siu pork! These buns are perfect for lunch, dinner, or any occasion. Follow along step-by-step as I show you how to make the dough, prepare the char siu filling using pork chops, and bake these buns to golden perfection with a sweet honey glaze on top.

🥣 DOUGH RECIPE
Ingredients:
250 ml warm full cream milk (microwave ~50 sec)
1 tbsp brown or white sugar
7 g instant dry yeast (1 packet)
500 g white bread flour
½ tsp salt
1 egg (room temperature)
50 g unsalted butter (softened)

Instructions:
Warm your milk and add sugar + yeast. Whisk and let sit 10 minutes until frothy.
Add bread flour, salt, and one egg.
Mix using a dough hook on low speed until combined into a dough ball.
Add softened butter and knead for 10 minutes until elastic and smooth.
(If using hands, knead longer — dough should be stretchy and not sticky.)
Shape into a ball, lightly oil the bowl, cover with cling wrap, and let rise for 2–3 hours until doubled in size.

🐖 CHAR SIU (BBQ PORK) FILLING
Ingredients:
6 pork chops (or any cut of pork you prefer)
½ tsp salt
Pinch of white pepper
2 tsp sugar
½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 cube fermented red bean curd + 2 tsp of its red sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 tbsp olive oil

Marinate:
Mix everything well, crush the red bean curd, and marinate for 20 minutes.

Cook the Meat:
Air fry at 200°C for 10 minutes each side until cooked and slightly dry.
Slice into small thin cubes once cooled.

🍛 CHAR SIU SAUCE
Ingredients:
2 small onions (diced)
1 tsp crushed garlic
½ tsp chicken bouillon powder
½ tsp sugar
Salt and white pepper to taste
Splash of Chinese rice wine
1–2 tbsp water
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
A few drops of mushroom dark soy sauce (for color)
1 small piece of Chinese brown sugar (or a few tsp normal sugar)
2 heaped tsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp char siu sauce
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with water (for thickening)

Spring onions (chopped)
Instructions:
Sauté onions in a little oil with salt, pepper, and sugar until soft and browned.
Add garlic and chicken bouillon, then drizzle in rice wine.
Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, hoisin, char siu sauce, and sugar.
Simmer until the sugar dissolves.
Add cornstarch slurry and stir continuously until the sauce thickens (thick and sticky consistency).
Turn off the heat and mix with your chopped pork.
Cool completely, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours before using.

🧁 SHAPING & FILLING THE BUNS
Punch the air out of your risen dough.
Divide into 13 equal pieces and roll each into a small ball.
Flatten slightly, add 1 tbsp of cooled char siu filling, and seal the base tightly.
Place buns on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Cover with cling wrap and let rise for 30–45 minutes until puffy.

🥚 EGG WASH
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
½ tsp brown sugar

Whisk together and lightly brush on top of the buns (avoid dripping to the tray).
Preheat oven to 170°C (fan oven) and bake for 15 minutes total, brushing a second coat of egg wash after the first 10 minutes.
Sprinkle sesame seeds on top before the final bake.

🍯 HONEY GLAZE
1 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
1–2 tbsp honey

Heat water and sugar in the microwave (20 seconds) until dissolved, then mix in honey.
Brush on top of the hot buns right after baking for that shiny, sticky finish!

✅ FINAL RESULT

Soft, fluffy, slightly sweet buns filled with rich, savory-sweet BBQ pork! The honey glaze adds a perfect shine and flavor — just like bakery-style Hong Kong Baked Char Siu Bao.

💡 Tips
Do not over-proof the dough (max 3 hours). Over-proofed dough can smell sour.
Make sure your sauce is thick before filling to prevent leaking during baking.
For extra softness, you can brush melted butter on buns right after baking.

🎥 WATCH NEXT

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🥮 Double Skin Milk Pudding Dessert –

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