Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled bun
Cha siu bao () is a Cantonese "baozi" (bun) filled with barbecue-flavored "cha siu" pork. They are served as a type of dim sum during "yum cha" and are sometimes sold in Chinese bakeries."
Varieties.
There are two major kinds of "cha siu bao": the traditional steamed version is called () or simply (), while the baked variety is usually called (). Steamed "cha siu bao" has a white exterior, while the baked variety is browned and glazed.
Cantonese cuisine.
Although visually similar to other types of steamed "baozi", the dough of steamed "cha siu bao" is unique since it makes use of both yeast and baking powder as leavening. This unique mix of leavening gives the dough of "cha siu bao" the texture of a slightly dense, but fine soft bread. Tangzhong, a water roux, is sometimes used to keep the bread soft over long periods of time and aids in improving the texture of the bao.
An alternative version of the steamed char siu bao is a baked version. While the dough is very similar, the baked char siu bao is more similar to a baked bun with the same "char siu" filling. It is often coated with an egg and sugar wash before baking, resulting in a slightly sweeter, more bready char siu bao.
Encased in the center of the bun is tender, sweet, slow-roasted pork tenderloin. This "cha siu" is diced, and then mixed into a syrupy mixture of oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, roasted sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, shaoxing wine or dry sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch.
Philippine cuisine.
Siopao (; ), literally meaning "hot bun", is the Philippine indigenized version of baozi. A common variant of the "siopao", the "siopao asado", is derived from the "char siu bao" and has a filling ("asado") which uses similar ingredients to "char siu". It differs in that the Filipino "asado" is a braised dish, not grilled, and is more similar in cooking style to the Hokkien "tau yu bak" (). It is slightly sweeter than "char siu" and can also be cooked with chicken. "Siopao" is also typically much larger than the "char siu bao" or the "baozi".
Polynesian cuisine.
At the invitation of the European powers, the Chinese were recruited as indentured laborers throughout in the Pacific to work on sugar plantations starting in the mid-1800s. Chinese immigrants would bring with them foods such as "char siu bao" which would be adapted to their new location.
In Hawaiian cuisine, it is called manapua. Hawaiian pidgin for "delicious pork thing". In Samoa, the item is referred to as keke pua'a, literally meaning "pig cake". In Tahiti, French Polynesia they are called chao pao.
Vietnamese cuisine.
In Vietnam, the item is called xíu páo. It's originating from Guangdong and Chaozhou following a fairly large overseas Chinese community living in Hakka street in Nam Dinh, Vietnam. Ingredients for baking mainly include flour, meat, eggs, flour, lard and some typical spices depending on how each family's family is made. To make delicious cakes, people often marinate pork tenderloin with minced garlic, fivespice, oyster oil, honey and then baked until it turns golden brown and is fragrant. Char siu meat is diced and mixed with wood ear mushroom, pork fat and a whole boiled quail egg, with the addition of a salted egg yolk in some variants. The word "xíu páo" is considered to be transliterated Cantonese or Hokkien.
References.
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