Disney Pixar’s: Bao
Disney Pixar’s: Bao recipe
I don’t frequent the move theaters very often. I always seem to end up sitting in front of seat kickers or with someone who seems to have a need to comment loudly about every scene. This month, however, I’m making an exception because Incredibles 2 and Jurassic World is out! What was even more exciting was seeing the Pixar short, Bao, directed by Domee Shi. I was so excited to see it since getting a quick glimpse of it a few weeks ago and it seriously did not disappoint.
I took the dumpling-making process for granted growing up because my mom would make them for me all the time: during the holidays, on weekends, for Chinese New Year. I would eat them so quickly, not really paying attention to how difficult they are to make.
At least for me. I would try to make them for the crew and think “oh my gosh it takes so much time to roll out each wrapper, fill each wrapper with filling and then fold it just perfectly.” But my mom does it so quickly and effortlessly.
Now that I’ve observed her so carefully, I appreciate all of the hard work that she did to make that food for me as a kid.
DOMEE SHI, INTERVIEW WITH LOS ANGELES TIMES
Domee Shi is the first woman to direct a Pixar short but already has worked in other movies such as Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, and the upcoming, Toy Story 4, under her belt. I can’t explain my love for this short and I’m so excited to see what else Shi has in store for us. Now getting to the recipe, Domee Shi has released an illustrated version of her mother’s recipe for bao. You’ll find the recipe below in the Time article for the illustrated version.
Disney Pixar’s: Bao recipe
I’ve been quite a few baos growing up but never have I tried making one. The idea of it seemed way too difficult to even attempt but I thought if I was to ever try attempt it, now would be the time! The recipe is easy enough to put together. Make sure not to add all the water at once because you might not need all 500ml of it. I believe I ended up with more than 1/4 cup of water left.
As stated in the recipe below, make sure to roll the dough out into a circle with a thicker center to prevent tearing and a thin edge to create beautiful pleats on top. The seam on top takes some practice but after a few dumplings I got more comfortable with the process.
Disney Pixar’s: Bao recipe
While the baos were very delicious, it took quite some time to figure out how to get the face on him. I tried adding additional dough to create the eyes, nose and mouth but it ending up puffing up during the cooking process and losing all detail. I then tried to press in the detail to the bao with a pairing knife but again, lost all detail when I steamed it. Finally, I ended up carefully cutting out the details after it was cooked with a pairing knife. Be careful not to cut too deeply to expose any of the filling.
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Disney Pixar’s: Bao recipe
Disney Pixar's: Bao
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp dry yeast
- 500 ml water or as needed
Filling
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb Chinese cabbage minced
- 1 carrot minced
- 2-3 stalks green onion chopped
- 1 large whole egg
- 1-2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 2-3 tsp cooking wine
- salt and pepper adjust all seasoning to taste
Instructions
Dough
- To start the dough, mix together the flour and yeast in a bowl. Gradually add enough water to the dough just until it forms a ball of dough. If the dough is too dry and stiff, add more water. If the dough is too wet, add more flour.
- Set aside, covered, for 2 hours.
Filling
- Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add half of the pork and cook just until done. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Once cool, mix the cooked and cooled pork with the raw pork in a large mixing bowl. Add the minced carrot, cabbage, green onion, egg, ginger, oil, chicken powder, oyster sauce, and cooking wine. Mix together until well combined.
Assembly
- After two hours, tip the dough onto lightly floured surface. Poke a hole in the middle of the dough. This is called the windmill technique. With your hands, hold the dough up and gently squeeze and turn the dough letting gravity stretch the dough into a long even rope. Cut the loop.
- According to Domee Shi's mother's recipe, she cut the dough into 1/2" pieces. I cut mine into 1/5"-2" pieces. This was easier to handle for my inexperienced hands!
- Gently flatten each piece and roll it out with a rolling pin. Make sure to leave the edges thinner and the center thicker so skin won't tear as easily. Add a generous spoonful of filling. Carefully,pinch the edges of the dough together to create pleats. Use your thumb to help push the filling in to stop it from spilling. Make sure to twist and press the top firmly to seal the top.
Cooking
- Place the baos on a cabbage lined steam basket. Bring a pot of water to a boil and place the basket on top. Steam for 15 minutes and then turn off the heat. Let it sit, covered,d for another 5 minutes. Serve warm. To create the face, I simply carved it out with e pairing knife. Be careful not to cut too deeply to expose the filling.
Omg these are so cute!!!