bao
Dim sum staple
Bao is a Chinese steamed bun, typically soft and pillowy, either unfilled or stuffed with savory or sweet fillings like pork, vegetables, or red bean paste.
The word comes from Mandarin and appears on menus as char siu bao (barbecue pork bun) or simply bao buns—technically redundant, since bao already means bun.
We grabbed some bao from the dim sum cart.
Chinese small-plate tradition
- dumplingsFilled dough parcels
- wontonStuffed Chinese pasta pocket
- char siuCantonese honey-roasted pork
- siu maiCantonese steamed dumpling
spring roll · congee · noodles · ramen · pho · hot pot · Peking duck · mooncake
Pig as food
- char siuCantonese honey-roasted pork
- pork bellyFatty porcine underside cut
- chickenDomestic fowl for eating
- shrimpSmall edible crustacean
beef · barbecue · vegetables · cabbage · shiitake · mushroom · bamboo shoots · water chestnuts
Woven cooking vessel for moist heat
- doughFlour-liquid mixture for baking
- yeastFermenting fungus
- rice flourPulverized cereal grain
- wheat starchCarbohydrate from grain kernels
steam basket · pleating · folding · wrapper · kitchen · recipe · Cantonese · teahouse
fluffy
Soft and light-textured
airy · light · spongy · puffy · chewy · stretchy · warm · fresh · doughy
dim sum
Chinese small-plate tradition
siu mai · spring roll · congee · noodles · ramen · pho · hot pot · Peking duck · mooncake · egg tart
pork
Pig as food
- char siuCantonese honey-roasted pork
- pork bellyFatty porcine underside cut
- chickenDomestic fowl for eating
shrimp · beef · barbecue · vegetables · cabbage · shiitake · mushroom · bamboo shoots · water chestnuts · scallions
bamboo steamer
Woven cooking vessel for moist heat
- doughFlour-liquid mixture for baking
- yeastFermenting fungus
- rice flourPulverized cereal grain
steam basket · wheat starch · pleating · folding · wrapper · kitchen · recipe · Cantonese · teahouse
yeast
Fermenting fungus
loaf · milk bread · brioche · enriched · leavened · proofing · kneading · gluten · bakery · oven
- Asian appetizersspring rolls, egg rolls, dumplings, pot stickers, gyoza
- bunshamburger bun, hot dog bun, brioche bun, sesame bun, pretzel bun
- Old Gameschess, backgammon, checkers, draughts, mancala
- steamed foodssteamed dumplings, steamed buns, steamed fish, steamed rice, steamed vegetables
- Stuffed Foodsdumpling, gyoza, empanada, pierogi, samosa
- Cantonese fooddim sum, siu mai, char siu, wonton noodles, roast goose
Cooked stuffed dough, oil-crisped
pot sticker · potsticker · spring roll · egg roll · chimichanga
- bao bunsSteamed filled bread rolls
- char siu baoChinese filled steamed bread
- hong baoFestive monetary gift wrapper
- cha siu baoChinese filled steamed bread