Char Siu Puff

Char Siu Puff (Simplified Chinese: 叉烧酥; Traditional Chinese: 叉燒酥; Pinyin: Chāshāo sū; also char siu sou or barbecue pork pastry) is a Cantonese bakery and dim sum item of flaky or puff pastry filled with diced Char Siu (barbecue pork) in a lightly sweet savory sauce. It is not the soft steamed Char Siu Bao (叉烧包); the puff is baked crisp while the bao is a yeast-dough bun.

Characteristics

Exterior is golden, layered, and shatteringly flaky; filling is glossy diced pork with sweet soy-hoisin notes. Often finished with sesame seeds. Shape may be rectangular, oval, or open-topped depending on bakery style.

Ingredients (overview)

Puff or Chinese flaky pastry dough (lard or oil-based pastry common traditionally), diced char siu, sauce of soy, sugar, oyster sauce or hoisin, optional onion. Distinct dough and cooking method from steamed Char Siu Bao.

History and culture

Standard Cantonese dim sum and cha chaan teng / bakery pastry alongside Egg Tart and Wife Cake. English menus list "char siu puff," "char siu sou," or "barbecue pork pastry." Closely tied to Char Siu roast-meat culture on Guangdong Food and Hong Kong Food.

Serving and variations

Dim sum cart, bakery counter, or tea snack. See Dim Sum, Char Siu, Char Siu Bao, and Hong Kong Food.

See also

• Char Siu
• Char Siu Bao
• Dim Sum
• Hong Kong Food
• Guangdong Food
• Egg Tart
• Wife Cake
• Taro Puff
• List of dishes (A-Z)