This ain’t your mother’s bao! But it *is* Jessica’s grandmother’s bao! On this episode we talk to pastry chef Jessica Fu about her grandmother’s special bao, filled with pork, spices, and secret ingredient vermicelli. This one is so special that between the three of us, none of us have ever seen it on a menu or out in the wild! We talk about where this dish came from and whether or not Jessica’s grandmother made it up. We also talk about Jessica’s fear of cooking savory, her aversion to trying to make these bao (surprise: perfectionism!), and how being brought up by immigrant parents with high standards actually kinda makes for becoming a good pastry chef.
Plus, growing up in a tiny Northern California community surrounded by a much larger one, being exposed to a stand-mixer, and the superiority and resurgence of whipped cream cakes.
Do not listen to this one on an empty stomach or a sugar detox. You’ve been warned!
Upon some digging we did also find a single similar recipe that uses beef instead of pork. Sub ingredients at will if you’re up for the challenge! And if you’re going more in the direction of Jessica’s grandmother, no ginger or cilantro!
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