Steamed Bao with Pork & Shrimp Filling

Step 1

Mince the shrimp by placing them on a cutting board, holding the knife blade flat with your palm on top, and rocking the blade over the shrimp until they are broken into small pieces about the size of a pea.

Step 2

Slice the scallions crosswise (perpendicular to their length) into thin rings about 1/8-inch wide, including both the white and green parts, until you have 2 tablespoons total.

Step 3

Place the ground pork, minced shrimp, sliced scallions, 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce, 0.5 teaspoon sesame oil, and 0.5 teaspoon minced ginger into a small bowl and stir with a spoon until everything is evenly mixed and no streaks of color remain.

Step 4

Place one wonton wrapper on a clean, dry surface in front of you with a corner pointing toward you, so it looks like a diamond.

Step 5

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of the wrapper, spreading it slightly but leaving at least 0.5 inch of empty space around all edges.

Step 6

Dip your finger into the 2 tablespoons of water and run it around the entire edge of the wrapper, creating a wet border all the way around.

Step 7

Fold the bottom corner up and over the filling to meet the top corner, creating a triangle, and press the edges down firmly to seal so no filling peeks out.

Step 8

Bring the two remaining side corners together below the filling, overlapping them slightly like cupped hands, and pinch them together to seal — you now have a bao shape.

Step 9

Repeat steps 4–8 with the remaining 7 wrappers and filling until you have 8 filled bao.

Step 10

Fill a 12-inch skillet or wok with 1 inch of water and place the steamer basket (or rack) inside so it sits about 1 inch above the water surface.

Step 11

Cut 8 small squares of parchment paper (about 3 inches × 3 inches) and place one square on each section of the steamer basket, or arrange them directly on the perforated steamer surface.

Step 12

Place all 8 bao seam-side up on the parchment squares, spacing them about 1 inch apart so steam can flow around each one.

Step 13

Cover the skillet with its lid, set the heat to medium-high, and bring the water to a rolling boil — you will hear a vigorous bubbling sound and see steam escaping from under the lid.

Step 14

Steam the bao for 12–14 minutes until the wrapper surface looks slightly puffy and matte (no longer shiny), and a toothpick inserted into the center of one wrapper meets no raw flour.

Step 15

Turn off the heat and carefully remove the lid by tilting the edge farthest from you away first, so escaping steam rises away from your face.

Step 16

Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the bao to a serving plate, placing them seam-side down so the smooth side faces up.