Pandan Liu Sha Bao (Salted Egg Yolks Custard Pandan Steamed Buns) – Pandan flavored steamed buns are filled with savory and sweet molten lava salted egg yolks custard filling that will gush out as soon as you take that first bite
Pandan Liu Sha Bao
I remember eating salted duck eggs with a bowl of rice congee often as a kid. It’s something that is so simple, but yet it’s my favorite. In case you have never tried salted duck eggs (or salted eggs for that matter), the white of the eggs are extremely salty but the yolks, the yolks have that hint of sweetness and just the right amount of savoriness, which I love. It’s something that I don’t know how to describe and I often just describe it as being umami in this modern day.
The mention of salted egg yolks reminded me of liu sha bao. I’ve tried making this liu sha bao twice and they failed miserably. Liu sha bao means literally that the filling is flowing like a lava. Mine didn’t. It’s just like a regular firm custard. Which is not bad actually, but I can’t call that liu sha bao though.
I made mine with coconut oil instead of butter and they are delicious too. I used the same recipe for the steamed pork scallion buns and the recipe for the filling is from a friend. Forever thankful for that 🙂
My kids don’t care much for liu sha bao though. They prefer the regular sweet custard buns. I asked my daugther why she didn’t like it and she said because of the combination of sweet and salty 🙂 My husband loves liu sha bao though and so he was excited to eat these for the first time.
HOW TO EAT THE LIU SHA BAO ?
No you don’t need a 10-page manual to eat this liu sha bao. It’s a pretty messy business trying to eat this bun though I must warn you. I took that small first bite and with the bun still in the mouth, gently suck in the flowing custard into my mouth so they won’t be dripping and continue with the rest 😉
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, which support this site at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I've personally used or liked. It's also a good way to show you how the products look like and you can always purchase at your local stores or wherever the cheapest. Learn more.
Pandan Liu Sha Bao (Salted Egg Yolks Custard Pandan Steamed Buns)
INGREDIENTS:
Dough:
- 300 gr all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
- 30 gr sugar
- 1 Tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil melted or any cooking oil of your choice
- 180 ml pandan juice see notes
Filling (recommended to prepare one day before):
- 100 gr butter (softened) or sub with coconut oil (which I did)
- 60 gr regular fine sugar
- 4 pre-cooked salted egg yolks mashed with fork
- 50 ml whole milk
- 80 gr custard powder sieved
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preparing the filling:
-
Place the softened butter or coconut oil in a large mixing bowl, add in sugar and beat until the color is pale (if using butter. Color will be the same with coconut oil) fluffy with a mixer. Add in milk gradually and mix again. Fold in the mashed egg yolk and sieve in the custard powder
-
The filling will be still quite runny. Place this in the fridge for 5 minutes. It will harden it a little bit and you can shape it into 15 balls. Place this on top of baking tray line with parchment paper and put them in the freezer and let it freeze for at least 1 hour. I did mine overnight
Preparing the dough:
-
Place sugar, yeast, oil and warm water in a bowl. Give it a stir and let it sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. In another bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder
-
Pour the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients. Use a dough attachment hook and start kneading the dough until it forms a smooth non-sticky dough, about 2 minutes. If you are kneading by hands, you need to knead for around 10 minutes until the dough is really smooth and no longer sticky. The kneading part is very important in yielding that smooth steamed buns
-
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl to let it rest for about 1 hour in a warm place or longer in winter time. It will double in size
Wrapping:
-
Punch the dough down to release any air bubbles and then fold and knead the dough several times and then reshape the dough back into a smooth dough ball
-
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a long log and then divide equally into 15 pieces. Work with one piece at a time and cover the rest to prevent drying. Flatten the dough with your palm and use a small rolling pin to roll into a circle about 5-6 inch in diameter. Place the frozen filling ball in the center of the wrapper and gather all the sides to the middle and pinch to seal. Place it on a parchment paper seam side down. Continue with the rest and place the bao on a large tray cover with large clean towel and let them rise for 30 minutes
Steaming:
-
Bring the water in a steamer to a boil. Wrap the lid with a cloth. This will prevent water dripping from the lid and create burn spots. Place some of the buns on the steamer and steam on high heat for about 5 minutes. I found that when I steam them for 7 -8 minutes, the filling will burst out. So, 5 minutes work for me. You may need to experiment a bit. Continue with the rest. They are best when served warm. Warn whoever that is eating this that the filling is HOT and it's flowing too (like a lava!)
Storing:
-
I usually made this in big batch and store the rest by placing them in a freezer bag. They can be stored up to 1 month. Try not to stack them so they won't stick to each other in the freezer. I store them flat on the freezer. They can be reheat on the steamer for about 5 minutes and as good as new
RECIPE NOTES:
Pandan juice can be extracted by using about 80-100 gr of pandan leaves. Cut the leaves into 1-inch pieces and then put in a blender with a bit of water to get it going. Blend into a fine paste. Transfer this paste into a cheese cloth and squeeze the juice out as much as you can. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Any longer it will spoil unless you freeze it. Remember to shake the juice a little bit before using.
Oh the ooze!!! That ooze looks absolutely perfect! I’m a huge fan of liu sha bao and yours look incredibly delicious!
Hi Jasline,
Thank you so much dear.