AI-generated photo.
Chinese · Iconic, Guangdong · China
Char siu bao
Also called 叉烧包
Char siu bao (叉烧包), a Guangdong plate from China.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Char siu bao is cooked in Guangdong as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Chop lacquered pork, wrap it in a soft dough, and steam the buns until they open at the top. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
73
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 24%
- Carbs 62%
- Fat 15%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Suits · Weight loss
Calories stay contained and protein is high enough to feel like a meal.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 21.9 g, under the 25 g mark.
Watch · Low sodium
About 797 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Watch · Gluten-free
Wheat or gluten is in the required list.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- All-purpose flour237 kcal
- Pork tenderloin76 kcal
- Toasted sesame oil31 kcal
- Hoisin sauce14 kcal
- Honey11 kcal
- Soy sauce2 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 42.5. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 373 kcal.
Allergens. Gluten, Sesame, Soy, Wheat
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 373 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 373 kcal | 19% |
| Protein | 21.9 g | 44% |
| Carbohydrate | 56.3 g | 20% |
| Fiber | 2.1 g | 8% |
| Total sugars | 5.1 g | 10% |
| Fat | 5.9 g | 8% |
| Saturated fat | 1.2 g | 6% |
| Cholesterol | 46 mg | 15% |
| Sodium | 797 mg | 35% |
| Potassium | 385 mg | 8% |
| Calcium | 109 mg | 8% |
| Iron | 4.1 mg | 23% |
| Magnesium | 39 mg | 9% |
| Zinc | 1.9 mg | 17% |
| Vitamin A | 2 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0.7 mg | 1% |
| Vitamin D | 0.1 mcg | 1% |
| Vitamin E | 0.4 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin K | 8 mcg | 7% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 1.2 mg | 102% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.6 mg | 45% |
| Niacin (B3) | 8.7 mg | 54% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.6 mg | 34% |
| Folate | 123 mcg | 31% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.4 mcg | 15% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Sodium is on the higher side. The swaps below pull it down.
- Much of the energy comes from a fast starch such as white rice, white flour, or sugar.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Oven
- Scale
- Mixing bowls
- Parchment
- The pan in the method
- Cooling rack
- Skewer or toothpick
- Oven thermometer
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
All-purpose flour2 cups260 g
Pork tenderloin2 pieces280 g
Hoisin sauce1 tbsp25 g
Honey1 tbsp15 g
Soy sauce1 tbsp13.04 ml
Baking powder1.5 tsp6 g
Scallion2 stalks15 g
Water0.6 cup140 ml
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
Toasted sesame oil1 tbsp15.22 ml
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set the oven to 350°F / 177°C and leave it for 15 minutes so the rack is actually hot. Weigh all-purpose flour, pork tenderloin, hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, baking powder, scallion, water, kosher salt, toasted sesame oil. Char siu bao is cooked in Guangdong as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Chop lacquered pork, wrap it in a soft dough, and steam the buns until they open at the top. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat oven 15 min
AI-generated photo.
2Line the pan with parchment. If this is Char siu bao, a bare pan is the usual reason the first slice sticks. Butter only the parchment, not a pool of fat.
AI-generated photo.
3Stir the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Combine them until the batter or dough for Char siu bao is even, with no dry streaks and no long mixing after that.
AI-generated photo.
4Scrape the mixture into the pan and level the top. Char siu bao bakes evenly only when the center is not a dome of unmixed batter.
- 🇨🇳 ChinaEast Asiaicon-china-char-siu-bao-step-4
Char siu bao, step 5
Step 5 · Bake about 39 min
5Bake at 350°F / 177°C until this is true: The crust of Char siu bao is deep gold and the center sounds hollow when tapped. The crumb is set, not wet or gummy. Start checking at 39 minutes. Opening the door early drops the heat.
Bake about 39 min
- 🇨🇳 ChinaEast Asiaicon-china-char-siu-bao-step-5
Char siu bao, step 6
Step 6 · Cool 10 min
6Cool Char siu bao in the pan for 10 minutes, then move it to a rack. Cutting while it is steaming collapses the crumb. Film Char siu bao in this shot order and no other: broth poured from a height into a bowl; the table set with the garnish in a small bowl; a thermometer in the thickest center; parchment pressed into the pan. Slate words for the editor: zephyr, trivet, tender, ripple, marble, griddle, drizzle, emberfold, amber, thistle.
Cool 10 min
How you know it is done
The crust of Char siu bao is deep gold and the center sounds hollow when tapped. The crumb is set, not wet or gummy.
If it goes wrong
- Char siu bao looks done on top and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue in the method, not the color alone. Give it a few more minutes and check the center.
- Char siu bao spread, sank, or turned out dry. Measure by weight next time, heat the oven fully, and stop when the doneness cue appears rather than when the timer ends.
Storage
Cool Char siu bao completely. Keep it covered at room temperature for 2 days, or wrap and freeze for a month. Refrigerate custard, cream, and fresh-fruit fillings the same day and eat them within 3 days.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Char siu bao is one of the plates people ask for by name from Guangdong.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Chop lacquered pork, wrap it in a soft dough, and steam the buns until they open at the top.
Allergens in the required list: Gluten, Sesame, Soy, Wheat.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.