Q: Can I freeze the baozi for later use?
A: Yes, after shaping the baozi, you can freeze them. When ready to eat, steam them directly from frozen for about 15 minutes.
Q: Is it necessary to add flour water when pan-frying the baozi?
A: Yes, adding a flour-water mixture (ratio approximately 1:20) helps to create a crispy crust on the baozi while pan-frying.
Cabbage and Pork Baozi
Notes
Ingredients:
- Pork filling: 1000g hind leg pork, 1 small piece of ginger, 2 spoonfuls of salt, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, a pinch of white pepper, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 200g scallion and ginger peppercorn water, 10 scallions
- 650g cabbage (about 1 head), 1 spoonful of salt (for marinating cabbage)
- Dough: 1000g all-purpose flour, 5g yeast, 25g sugar, 540g water, 20g cooking oil
- Pan-frying: Cooking oil as needed, flour water (mix of flour and water), scallions, and sesame seeds for garnishing
- Prepare the dough: Mix flour, sugar, yeast, and water (reserve about 20g water to adjust the dough's moisture). Stir until it forms large flakes, add cooking oil, knead into a rough ball, cover, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Knead again and let it ferment in a warm place until doubled in size.
- Prepare the filling: Chop the scallions, soak the scallion-ginger-peppercorn in boiling water and let it cool. Clean and chop the cabbage, mix with a spoonful of salt, marinate for about 10 minutes to draw out moisture, then squeeze out the excess water.
- Prepare the pork filling: Clean and cut the pork into chunks, blend in a meat grinder with a small piece of ginger until granular.
- Mix the filling: Combine salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white pepper, and sesame oil. Stir the pork mixture for 3-5 minutes until it becomes sticky. Gradually add the scallion-ginger-peppercorn water (after removing solids), stirring well after each addition. Then mix in the scallions.
- Add the cabbage to the pork mixture and mix well.
- Once the dough has doubled, roll it out on a floured surface, expel the gas by kneading for about 6 minutes. Form into a long log, divide, roll out the wrappers, fill with the pork mixture, and let them ferment again for about 20 minutes.
- If not eating immediately, freeze the shaped baozi. To cook, steam directly from frozen for about 15 minutes.
- For pan-fried baozi, heat oil in a pan, add the baozi, and fry until the bottom is golden brown. Add the flour-water mixture (about 2/3 of the height of the baozi), cover, and cook until the water is almost evaporated. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
- The baozi are ready when the steamed ones are soft and fluffy, and the pan-fried ones have a crispy bottom and rich flavor.
- Rich in protein from pork.
- Carbohydrates from the dough.
- Fiber and vitamins from cabbage.
