Christmas Appetiser: Candy Cane Baos

Looking for a Christmas appetiser? These Candy Cane Steamed Baos are as delicious as they are adorable. This is a Christmas appetiser to impress and I share a version for Chinese BBQ pork filling plus a super easy vegan filling too. Everyone can easily help themselves and tear apart a bao from the candy cane! This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader.

I first saw these candy cane baos when I saw someone on social media show her haul from British supermarket Tesco. They were such an adorable and clever idea that I wanted to eat them but of course we don't have a Tesco here. So it was up to me to try and recreate a version from scratch.

I made a few batches of this candy cane bbq pork before I finally arrived at the perfect one. The bao recipe is based on the Momofuku pork bun one and the filling is based on my mother's bbq pork bun filling. I absolutely love this filling and I made extra because this filling also makes the best jaffles sandwiches ever (trust me!).

Tips For Making Candy Cane Bao

1 This recipes makes 12 baos but requires a large steamer. I used the steamer on the Thermomix so I could only fit 10 baos in a candy cane shape so I steamed the other ones next to them. Just add them to the candy cane once you put it on the serving platter.

2 These baos can easily be made vegan. Just sub the milk powder with soy milk powder and use the vegan hoi sin mushroom filling recipe below!

3 I find it easiest to weigh the dough so that you get a consistent size for each baos and it gives it a bit more of a professional finish.

4 You can also make this candy cane bao ahead of time, freeze the entire candy cane and then thaw in the fridge overnight. Then steam the baos for 5-8 minutes. If you do want to microwave them make sure to spray the buns with water first otherwise they will be very dry.

5 You can buy char siu at any Chinese or Hong Kong roast meat stores. Some Chinese restaurants also sell bbq pork or char siu to takeaway too.

I was at a doctor's office the other day after I bought a box of char siu to take away. My GP wanted me to see a cardiologist for a baseline - he doesn't think there'll be anything of concern but he said that in 10 years it will be good to measure it against something.

The waiting room was completely full with patients and the doctors were running late. I was sitting next to a very elderly man, at a guess I'd say he was 80 (I am terrible at guessing people's ages though). He was covered in gauze and had a breathing apparatus. I was sitting on my phone bored as I had already been waiting for 45 minutes for my appointment.

A doctor came out and called a name. The elderly man got up and said hello to the doctor. She turned and said to me, "Are you his wife?".

"What?" I said shocked. Yep that cringe "Is this your husband?" scene from Bridesmaids is real. I mean I know we are all getting older but honestly I didn't think we looked like we were together. The doctor was Chinese and older Chinese people can be blunt (I can say this as I many of my relatives are blunt to the point of rude!).

"I thought you were his girlfriend," said the doctor defensively who was honestly just making things worse. I rolled my eyes and was just happy that I would never have to see her as a doctor!

So tell me Dear Reader, has that scene ever played out with you?

Christmas Candy Cane Baos

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Print Recipe

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 30 minutes plus 1 hour rising time

Cooking time: 15 + 10 minutes

Makes 12 baos

For the baos

260g/9.2ozs cake flour*
3/4 teaspoon instant dried yeast
25g/0.9ozs caster or superfine sugar
1 tablespoon milk powder (use soy milk for vegan)
130-140ml/4.4-4.7flozs warm water (40-46C/105-115F)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Red food colouring

For BBQ Pork Filling

2 teaspoons oil
200g/7ozs bbq pork or char siu
60g/2ozs onion, diced
60ml/2flozs chicken stock
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoons cornflour/fine cornstarch mixed with 1.5 tablespoons tap water

Alternative Vegan Filling

1 tablespoon oil
60g/2ozs onion, diced
200g/7ozs mushrooms, (can be button, shiitake or an exotic mix), finely chopped
1 tablespoon hoi sin sauce
1 tablespoon char siu sauce

Buyer's note: Cake flour can be bought at the supermarket. You can also make it at home. To make 1 cup/150g/5.2ozs of cake flour replace 2 tablespoons of plain all purpose flour with cornflour/fine cornstarch and whisk well. I usually mix up a big batch of this and keep it in a container ready for baking cakes as it produces a softer texture.

Step 1 - First make the bao dough as it needs time to rise. Mix the cake flour, yeast, sugar, milk powder together (do not add the baking powder at this stage) until well combined. Add the warm water and mix with a spatula - you will get a very rough looking mixture. Knead with the dough hook of a mixer for 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl (I use the same mixer bowl) and cover and allow to rise for an hour. I place the mixer bowl in a bowl of hot water just to speed it up (just change the water 2-3 times once it gets cold).

Step 2 BBQ Pork Filling - While the dough is rising make the filling. Roughly chop the char siu up. Thermomix directions: place char siu in the TM bowl for 10 seconds, speed #5. In a bowl whisk the chicken stock, sugar, salt, soy sauce and sesame oil to combine. Make the cornflour with the water to make a slurry and have this ready. Place a frypan on medium heat and add the oil. Once heated, add the onion and saute, you don't want these caramelised, just soft and translucent. Add the char siu and the stock mixture and bring to a simmer. Add the cornflour slurry (just whisk it up before you use it in case it has settled). Stir the charsiu mixture in the pan and remove from heat and allow to cool.

Step 2 b Vegan Filling - Place a frypan on medium heat and add oil. Once heated, add the onion and saute, you don't want these caramelised, just soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until cooked and softened, around 5 minutes. Add hoi sin sauce and char siu sauce and mix well with the mushrooms. Remove from heat and cool.

Step 3 - When the dough is ready the filling should be cool. You should have around 420g/14.8ozs of dough. Remove 50g/1.7ozs of dough for the red candy stripes and divide the rest of the dough into 12 pieces around 30g/1oz each. Roll each into a ball and the roll out with a small rolling pin making the edges thinner than the centre. Place a couple of teaspoons of the filling (I used around 23g/0.8ozs filling) and pinch the dough shut making sure there are no holes. Roll it into a ball and repeat with the remaining white dough.

Step 4 - Using latex gloves knead a few drops of the red colouring into the 50g/1.7ozs of dough so that it is well incorporated. It will become brighter red once steamed but you do want it to be strong red so you may need 1/4 teaspoon or so. Cut the red dough into two pieces and roll each out into a very thin log. Wrap around each ball of dough and then place on a sheet of parchment that will fit your steamer. Place the buns into a candy cane shape and then shape the dough with your hands so that they mesh together on the sides. Heat a steamer until 114C/237F and place in the steamer and steam for 10 minutes. Serve while warm.