This one has been on our hit list for a while now. A dim sum classic, the restaurant version of which probably contains copious amounts of lard, these Chinese Roast Pork Puffs are definitely an I-don’t-really-want-to-think-about-what-I’m-eating-right-now-because-it-tastes-so-awesome-but-I’ll-probably-have-to-spend-three-hours-on-a-stairmaster kind of food. Somehow, the fact that we use puff pastry for these roast pork puffs instead of lard-based dough kind of makes it all okay. (Uh…doesn’t it?)
At the very least, employing a box of store-bought pastry makes the whole assembly process a lot easier. Even better, try making your own homemade rough puff pastry with our easy rough puff pastry recipe and you will never buy the store-bought stuff again!
The very puffy puffs that result definitely can stand tall on a dim sum cart next to their lardy counterparts. It’s a good idea–your cardiologist and/or personal trainer will thank you–to share a batch of these with friends. We pawned a bunch off on delighted–if a little confused–neighbors. Sharing the love, and all that. For more dim sum madness and authentic dim sum recipes, check out our Roast Pork Buns, Hong Kong Egg Tarts and Sticky Rice Wraps. More is on the way, so keep your eyes peeled and tea at the ready.
Let’s first start with making these Chinese roast pork puffs!
Chinese Roast Pork Puffs Recipe Instructions
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and stir-fry the onion or shallots until translucent. Add the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and dark soy sauce and cook until it starts to bubble up.
Add the chicken stock and flour. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring, for a couple minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the Chinese cha siu pork.
You can buy this from your Chinese grocery store’s hot bar, or make your own with our Chinese roast pork cha siu recipe here.
Set aside your roast pork puffs filling to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to smooth out the seams. Once rolled, the puff pastry square should be 30% larger than where you started.
Cut into equal squares (whatever size you prefer). Ours were about the size of a large ravioli. Put about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling onto a pastry square…
…and brush the edges with egg wash. Cover with another pastry square and use a fork to crimp it closed. Make sure they’re tightly sealed.
Repeat until all the filling and/or pastry has been used.
Brush the tops of the roast pork puffs with egg wash.
And sprinkle with sesame seeds. We used both black and white sesame seeds.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm!
A fun way to serve these roast pork puffs, if you want that dim sum experience, is in white paper baking cups. With hot tea, of course!
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Recipe
Chinese Pastry Roast Pork Puffs
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/4 cup shallots (or onion, finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup Chinese roast pork (char siu, finely chopped – you can buy this from your Chinese grocery store's hot bar, or make your own with our char siu recipe)
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry (or homemade rough puff pastry, thawed)
- egg wash (1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and stir-fry the onion until translucent. Add the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and dark soy sauce and cook until it starts to bubble up. Add the chicken stock and flour. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring, for a couple minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the pork. Set aside to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to smooth out the seams. Once rolled, the puff pastry square should be 30% larger than where you started. Cut into equal squares (whatever size you prefer). Ours were about the size of a large ravioli.
- Put about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling onto a pastry square and brush the edges with egg wash. Cover with another pastry square and use a fork to crimp it closed. Make sure they're tightly sealed. Repeat until all the filling and/or pastry has been used.
- Brush the tops of the pastries with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm!
