Steamed Tuna Bao Buns
Steamed tuna bao buns are a type of steamed dumpling from American-Asian cuisine. They are made with a simple yeast leavened dough and steamed until soft and fluffy. They can be eaten plain or stuffed with a variety of fillings. This recipe uses a tuna and pineapple filling.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Rice flour
- Tapioca starch (or potato starch)
- ½ packet dry active yeast
- 1 tbsp honey
- Milk, warm (~100°F)
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
- White granulated sugar
- Lukewarm water (~100°F)
- Canned tuna
- Canned pineapple in juice, cut into small pieces
- 1 tbsp canned pineapple juice
- Barbecue sauce (your choice)
- Seasoning powder (hot paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground ginger, ground star anise)
- 1 pinch Vegeta seasoning (optional, has MSG)
- 1 tsp spicy mustard
- Shelled whole peanuts
Instructions
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1Add active dry yeast and honey to around 8 oz warm water and milk. If using instant yeast there is no need to bloom the yeast.
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2Sift in a mix of all purpose flour, rice flour, tapioca starch. It should be mostly AP flour, but the exact mixture is not precise.
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3Add a little salt and sugar. Begin to combine the dough with a oiled spatula, continue adding flour until it starts to come together.
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4Begin kneading—it will be sticky—and continue adding flour. Oil on hands will help.
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5Add a little oil if it is needed (not more than 1 tbsp) and continue kneading until the dough is elastic.
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6Place the dough in a covered food-safe plastic container large enough to accommodate the expanding dough.
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7Allow dough to rise somewhere warm. Check on it in around 2 hours—once it doesn't bounce back when poked, it is ready for filling.
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8Combine tuna, pineapples, peanuts, and seasoning powder, and mix until the tuna has a paste-like consistency. Pineapple pieces should be small.
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9Add a little barbecue sauce; it should be moist but not too wet.
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10Optionally add 1 tbsp pineapple juice, which will make it sweet.
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11Add mustard according to taste.
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12Let rest, uncovered, for around 2 hours
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13Take a piece of dough slightly larger than a golf ball and flatten in your hand. Don't make this too thin.
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14Add filling and fold closed by pinching around the edges (google "folding bao" for help with this step). For plain bao they can be log-shaped.
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15Add to steamer with boiling water, and steam 10–12 minutes.
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16Serve hot.
- Method
- Steaming
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Recipe Attribution
Wikibooks Cookbook
Printed from recipe.exchange
https://recipe.exchange/recipes/wb-415698
Printed on October 30, 2026