How to Steam Bao Buns

We have been selling our Bao Bun Kits for over a year now and they have become one of our most popular products. However, a regular question we get asked is how to steam bao buns without a bamboo steamer? We understand that a bamboo steamer isn’t a standard utensil that everyone would have in their house, therefore we have written a blog post to offer some other alternatives to a bamboo steamer so that you can still enjoy our Bao Bun Kits. Whether you have one of our School of Wok Bamboo Steamers, or if you are looking to get a little more inventive when cooking your steamed bao buns with a makeshift creative steamer - we will all be happy! The traditional bamboo steamer is designed specifically for dim sum and bao. It creates a little bit of condensation but most of it is collected by the steam basket itself, ensuring it will not drip down and make your bao buns soggy (and nobody likes a soggy bao bun!). This is what we are aiming to recreate with our makeshift items too!

Recommendation 1: Metal Pan Steamer

If you have a metal steamer with a glass or metal lid, there are certain problems that can arise, as these can hold the condensation and drip back down onto the bao. To combat this, follow the steps below: - Line the metal steamer with greaseproof paper, this will protect it. - Do not overfill with water - Don’t let your bao touch the sides, as the sides of the metal steamer can become quite wet - Cover the pan with a clean tea towel to absorb any condensation and then place lid on top

Recommendation 2: Table Top Steamer

We can also use a traditional table top steamer (one usually used for vegetables). This will normally collect a lot of steam, so you will need to follow the same process as the metal pan steamer. - Line the steamer with greaseproof paper - Place the baos in, and leave extra space - Cover the lid with a clean tea towel and place the lid over the top to collect any excess condensation

Recommendation 3: 1 bowl, 1 plate and a wok

Last but not least, if you don’t have any steamer at all there is still one more solution, which will allow you to be tucking into some fluffy steamed bao buns before you know it! Recommendation 3 is just a plain and simple bowl! - Put a small amount of water in a wok, and put a small bowl onto the wok - Place a plate with some greaseproof paper on top of the bowl (you can also use a large saucepan if you wish) - Bring the water to boil - Put the baos onto the greaseproof paper - Place a tall lid on the wok, or a flat lid if you are using a saucepan _Looking for a suitable Wok & Wok Lid? View our range here: www.schoolofwok.co.uk/shop/woks_ All of the methods above take 8 minutes to cook. Of course, the traditional bamboo basket will give you the fluffiest Bao Buns with no condensation at all, but any of the alternatives listed above will work and are perfectly good solutions. So, if you don't have a bamboo steamer to hand, but have one of our Bao Bun Kits to try - have a go at one of the recommendations above and let us know how you got on!