BBQ Pork Hand Pies (叉燒酥) Char Siu Soul
My best description/translation of a favorite Chinese pastry, 叉燒酥 (Char Siu Sou) is Chinese bbq pork hand pie. Flaky, tender pastry surrounding a sweet-salty filling of bbq pork, and onions. Char Siu Sou can be found in tea houses serving dim sum and in Chinese bakeries.
Surprisingly, there is quite a selection of pastries made with the Chinese version of puff pastry. More often than not, they are savory. Traditional Chinese pastry is made with two doughs, wet dough and a short dough, laminated together. Folks used lard back in the day which made for a very flaky and flavorful crust.
E-pie-phany
One of my favorite recipes from King Arthur Baking is their Blueberry Hand Pies. The dough made with sour cream is easy to work with and makes a tender, super flaky, buttery shell. When I make hand pies this is my go-to pastry recipe. I’ve used fresh peaches, strawberries, and preserves for the blueberry filling. “Hands” down, a winner.
Char Siu Soul- I Did It My Way
Instead of the traditional Chinese pastry dough, I decided to make the hand pie dough recipe. It’s fewer steps and WORKED like a charm, flaky, buttery goodness, callin’ it Char Siu Soul. Visions of the possibilities like curry beef, Bulgogi, or Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Pork as fillings danced in my head. Yum.
Good Things Come in Pastry Packages
The dough comes together easily. If you are a novice, check out King Arthur Baking’s Martin and Arlo video on making hand pies. The keys to success are cold butter, working quickly, not overmixing, and letting it rest. The crust can be made by hand, by pinching the butter with the flour mixture. You’ll end up with butter flakes coated with flour, a key to creating the flaky layers.
Fold the dough a couple of times and then CHILL the dough until set or firm. If you are making the dough early, take it out of the fridge and allow it to soften just enough to make it easy to roll out.
Make any shape you want. Rectangles, squares or triangles work well, no leftover scraps of dough. Cutting out circles will leave scraps of dough that can be re-rolled (more work). Place approximately 1 heaping teaspoon of filling, egg wash the edge, fold one side over and crimp the edges.
Cha Cha Char Siu
Trust me, you don’t have to make your own char siu or bbq pork. Plenty of Chinese delis make delicious bbq pork. But it’s not hard to make, I have 2 versions to make your own, oven-roasted or braised BBQ Pork. Make a batch, you’ll have plenty for Char Siu Soul and for Pork Buns, Fried Rice, sammies, scrambled or steamed eggs. It freezes well, so make a big batch.
The filling is easy to make. Make sure it is cool before filling the pastry. Dice the char siu small, don’t mince. You don’t want a mushy filling. You can use either yellow or white onions or shallots for the filling.
I’m Okay, It’s Okay (A Nod to the K-Drama)
Need these delightful pastries in a hurry or on short notice? Feel free to start with frozen, pre-made puff pastry or pie crust (won’t be quite as flaky) for the pastry. Finally, buy Char Siu, Chinese delis make fantastic bbq pork, a huge time saver. It’s okay!
Char Siu Soul (BBQ Pork Pastry)
Ingredients
Pastry
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (8-1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter 16 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup cold sour cream
Char Siu Filling:
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey or agave syrup
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion or shallots
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- 4 ounces char siu Chinese BBQ pork finely diced (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
To make the pastry:
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter, working it in to make a coarse/crumbly mixture. Leave most of the butter in large, pea-sized pieces.
- Add the sour cream, and stir until the mixture starts to come together in chunks. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, and bring it together with a few quick kneads.
- Pat the dough into a rough log, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Dust both sides of the dough with flour, and starting with a shorter end, fold it in three like a business letter.
- Flip the dough over, give it a 90° turn on your work surface, and roll it again into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Fold it in three again.
- Wrap the dough, and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.
Char Siu Filling:
- In a small bowl, stir together the water, sugar, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and set aside.
- Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until translucent. Stir the flavoring sauce into the onion and heat for 30 seconds or until bubbly.
- Give the cornstarch mixture a final stir and add to the skillet. Cook for 30 seconds longer, or until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the char siu and remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature.
To Assemble and Bake:
- To assemble and bake: Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the prepared dough into approximately 14-inch square.
- Using a ruler, trim off the uneven edges to make a 12-inch square, then cut the dough in thirds crosswise and quarters lengthwise to make 12 (3-by-4-inch) rectangles.
- Place 1 tablespoon* of the char siu filling across the center of each square leaving about ½-inch border on either side for sealing. Overlap the dough over the filling (like enclosing a photo in a letter). Press down to seal in the filling on all sides. If the dough isn't sticking together easily you may dab the inside edges of the pastry with water before folding it closed.
- Flip the pastry over so the seal is on the bottom, and use the tines of a fork to seal the short edges. Place on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling, spacing pastries 1-inch apart on the baking sheet.
- Brush the pastries with egg wash, then sprinkle them with sesame seeds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool briefly on a wire rack. These are best served warm, but are good at room temperature.
- Reheat in a toaster oven at 350 for approximately 5 minutes.