{"id":32211,"date":"2025-12-03T10:25:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T02:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tasteasianfood.com\/?p=32211"},"modified":"2025-12-03T10:25:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T02:25:39","slug":"char-siu-sou","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tasteasianfood.com\/mystaging\/char-siu-sou\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Char Siu Sou | Classic Dim Sum BBQ Pork Puff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you love Chinese barbecue pork and enjoy savory Chinese pastries, then Char Siu Sou \u53c9\u71d2\u9165 is just right for you. It\u2019s a classic pastry you\u2019ll often find in Chinese caf\u00e9s and a regular item in most Dim Sum restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many traditional Chinese pastries, Char Siu Sou is made with Chinese-style puff pastry, which tastes quite different from the Western version. The layers aren\u2019t created by butter alone, but with an \u201coil dough,\u201d a mixture of flour and oil. This is the same type of pastry used for traditional Chinese egg tarts <\/a>and salted egg pastries.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coincidentally, it\u2019s also the same pastry used for curry puffs, which I just made a few days ago. So I\u2019m using the leftover pastry I stored in the freezer, which saves me the time of preparing a new batch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also decided to make the Char Siu filling <\/a>myself, which doesn\u2019t take much time at all. You can definitely use ready-made Char Siu if you want to simplify things even further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"BBQ<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my <\/em>privacy policy<\/em><\/a> for more info. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Char Siu Filling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You might be wondering\u2026 is the filling I use actually real barbecue pork? Well, not exactly. It\u2019s chicken breast pieces stir-fried with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a few seasonings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So does it make a difference compared to using authentic barbecue Char Siu? Honestly, the difference is very minimal. Once it\u2019s seasoned with the sauces and baked inside the pastry, most people won\u2019t be able to tell the difference, and it will still taste just as delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Make Char Siu Sou<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now, let\u2019s get into the details of how to prepare Char Siu Sou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the dough-making process is easier to follow visually, we\u2019ve added a video for you. You can find it right above the recipe card below 🎥👇.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Prepared the Chinese Puff Pastry<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Since I\u2019ve already shared the full step-by-step process (and a video too!) in my recent curry puff blog post, I\u2019ll only give a quick overview here. You can check out the detailed instructions by clicking here<\/a>, which will take you directly to the section where everything is explained clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Briefly, this pastry is made with two doughs. The first dough is called water dough. As the name implies, it\u2019s made by kneading flour, salt, sugar, and oil together with water. This dough is soft and stretchable, and it\u2019s used to wrap around the oil dough.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. So what is oil dough? It\u2019s simply a dough made by mixing butter with just enough flour to form a smooth, oily dough.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. To assemble the pastry, roll out the water dough and wrap it around the smaller oil dough. Then roll the combined dough flat, and roll it up again, just like making a Swiss roll. The oil inside the oil dough helps separate the layers of water dough, forming those beautiful flaky layers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Repeat the \u201croll flat and roll up\u201d process three times, and you\u2019ll create multiple layers just like Western puff pastry, but with that signature Chinese texture and flavor.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Note:
    <\/strong>Traditional Chinese puff pastry uses a combination of butter and lard, which gives it the signature flavor found in Hong Kong dim sum restaurants. For this recipe, I am using only butter because I keep the pastry pork-free, making it more suitable and appealing for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Traditional<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    2. Prepare the filling\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Cut the meat into small pieces and mix it with a savory sauce made of oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and a few other seasonings. Traditionally, this pastry uses Chinese barbecue pork (char siu), but today I\u2019m doing things a little differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m starting with chicken meat instead of barbecue pork. Why? Because chicken is something almost everyone enjoys, and honestly, once the filling is seasoned and baked inside the pastry, the difference is almost unnoticeable. The only thing you might miss is a tiny hint of smokiness from the barbecue pork. But flavor-wise, it\u2019s really minimal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n