Char Siu Bao: Steamed and Snow-Top BBQ Pork Buns

Char siu bao is the Cantonese barbecued pork bun, and it comes in two very different moods. The classic steamed bun is pillowy and white, split open at the top to show a glimpse of glossy red pork. The baked snow-top bun, a more recent Hong Kong style, hides the same filling under a crackly, sugary crust. Both belong on a dim sum table, and many guests order one of each.

What is char siu bao?

Char siu (叉燒) is Cantonese barbecued pork, marinated and roasted until lacquered and slightly charred at the edges; bao (包) means bun. In Cantonese the name is pronounced roughly chā sīu bāau. For the filling, the pork is diced and folded into a thickened sauce that tastes of honey, soy and oyster sauce in balance: sweet first, then savoury, with a little smokiness from the roast.

The sauce matters as much as the meat. It needs to be thick enough to stay inside the dough, but generous enough that the first bite is juicy. A dry filling is one of the quickest signs of a hurried bun.

The steamed bun: soft, white and smiling

The steamed version is the traditional one and is often listed among the four heavenly kings of dim sum, with har gow, siu mai and egg tarts. Its dough is leavened to rise hard and fast in the steamer. As it does, the top bursts open along the pleats, so the finished bun looks as if it is smiling, or blooming like a flower.

That split is not an accident. Cantonese dim sum cooks have long treated it as a mark of skill, and getting it right depends on the dough, the leavening, the shaping and a strong, steady steam. A good steamed char siu bao should be:

• fluffy and light, springing back when pressed
• bright white, with no grey or yellow tinge
• opened at the top just enough to show the filling
• generously filled, with sauce that stays inside

The snow-top bun: a newer Hong Kong favourite

The baked snow-top bun is a later arrival. Baked char siu bao with a glazed brown top have been part of Cantonese bakeries for a long time, but the version with a crumbly sweet crust, like the topping of a Hong Kong pineapple bun, became a sensation in Hong Kong in the early twenty-first century and spread quickly to dim sum restaurants overseas.

The appeal is contrast. The crust shatters lightly, the bread beneath is soft and buttery, and the savoury pork in the centre cuts through the sugar. It is sometimes called a "snow mountain" bun in Chinese (雪山叉燒包) for the pale, cracked look of its top.

Steamed or baked: how to choose

There is no wrong answer, but the two play different roles at the table.

• Steamed (蒸): lighter and more traditional, good early in the meal or for anyone who prefers a soft, plain bread.
• Snow-top (焗): richer and sweeter, with crunch, and a favourite with children and first-timers.

Both are best eaten hot. Tear the steamed bun in half by hand if you like; the snow-top bun is easiest eaten in two or three bites, with a napkin close by for crumbs.

Char siu bao at Neptune Palace

We serve both styles at our Vancouver location at Marine Gateway and our Burnaby location at The Amazing Brentwood. Steamed BBQ Pork Buns are item 114 in the steamed section; Snow-Top Baked BBQ Pork Buns are item 118 in the baked and pan-fried section. Both are made in house.

If you enjoy the filling, the Vancouver kitchen also makes its own Honey-Glazed Char Siu (603), on the Cantonese barbecue menu daily from 10 am to 3 pm. A basket of each bun, shared around the table, is an easy way to see how one filling can tell two stories. Dim sum runs daily until 3 pm; call either location to reserve.

Questions, answered