16 Comforting Chinese Bakery Treats You Need To Try
SHARE
@mm.foodmem
If you’ve ever been to a Chinese bakery, you know how overwhelming it can be, but in the best way possible. Chinese bakeries are like fantasy worlds where all of your savory and sweet cravings come together in perfect harmony.
There’s a focus on single-serving pastries, like steamed buns, fried buns, egg tarts, sesame balls and meat-filled pastries. Carb-heavy is an understatement. You need to be fully committed to eating all of the stuffed bread and just rock it. Here are the best Chinese pastries out there that you need to devour.
1. BBQ Pork Bun
These Chinese-style pastries come either baked or steamed. Called cha siu bao in Cantonese, these buns are filled with barbecue-flavored cha siu pork. You’ll see them served as dim sum or at Chinese bakeries.
2. Lotus Seed Paste Pastries
Lotus seed paste is a Chinese dessert made from lotus seeds. The luscious and nougat-like filling is used in all kinds of sweet pastries. They’re mostly eaten on special occasions in Chinese culture and given as holiday gifts.
3. Egg Custard Tarts
These are flakey, eggy and addicting. The pastry dough is filled with a mixture of egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, cornstarch, salt, milk and heavy cream. Egg custard tarts are perfectly bite-sized for snacking on the go.
4. Pineapple Buns
These popular sweet buns are common in Hong Kong, Canada and Chinatowns worldwide. The dough for a pineapple bun is similar to the taste of a sugar cookie. The top of the bun becomes golden brown and resembles a pineapple and it usually gets stuffed with a piece of butter.
5. Matcha Egg Tart
These egg tarts are just as addicting as the regular kind, but they’re made with matcha green tea powder.
6. Red Bean Sesame Balls
Fried sesame balls, or jian dui, are Chinese pastries made from glutinous rice flour. The outside of the pastry is coated with sesame seeds and it’s crisp and chewy. The inside is large and hallow, which makes it perfect to stuff with fillings like sweet red bean paste.
7. Purple Sweet Potato Buns
Purple sweet potatoes are real and they make pastries sweet and bright lavender.
8. Hot Dog Buns
If you’re at all into hot dogs, give these meaty pastries a shot. The hot dogs are encased in buttery golden brown dough and topped with sesame seeds.
9. Mooncakes
Mooncakes are traditionally eaten during the mid-autumn festival celebrating lunar appreciation. These pastries are round with a rich, thick filling like red bean paste or lotus seed paste. The crust contains egg yolks from salted duck eggs.
10. Dried Pork Bun
Dried pork buns might not be the most visually-pleasing pastry of the bunch, but if you consider yourself an adventurous eater, then dig in. These buttery buns are topped with “pork floss,” a dried meat with a fluffy texture that’s kind of like a savory cotton candy.
11. Curry Donut
If you like curry and you like donuts, you’ll be a fan of these savory pastries. The outside is greasy and sweet like a donut with a crumbly texture. Inside, there’s either a vegetable, shrimp or chicken curry filling. Sounds weird, but it works.
12. Peanut And Cream Bun
This Hong Kong sweet bun, which is pretty common in Chinese bake shops, has layers of creamy peanut butter filling and a sugary outer coating.
13. Custard Buns
Cantonese steamed custard buns are a dim sum cart staple and you’ll find them throughout Chinese bakeries. Also called milk-yolk buns, they’re filled with a buttery, sugary egg yolk-yellow custard.
14. Sausage Caterpillar Bread
This bread is perfect for a picnic. It’s easy to pack up and easy to eat. The bread is stuffed with sausage, topped with cheese and baked until it’s golden brown. You might see caterpillar bread drizzled with ketchup, hot sauce or mayo.
15. Steamed Red Bean Buns
Steamed red bean buns are comforting, filling and sweet. Inside the fluffy soft white bun is a sweet red bean paste. These are ideal for snacking, breakfast or with a cup of tea.
16. Buttery Green Onions Bread
The popular green onion bread is a savory, soft pastry that can come in all shapes and sizes.
Next on
