A beloved dim sum staple, baked Chinese roast pork pastry puffs (char siu sou) are extremely flaky on the outside with a flavorful pork filling inside. Making the pastry from scratch yields a much more authentic flavor and texture than using shortcuts with store-bought puff pastry. The dough is much easier to work with that one would think, and the results are out of this world!

(This recipe was originally published in July 2011, but was updated with new photos and content in 2021).
Char siu sou (叉燒酥) is the most common dim sum savory pastry. Between its slightly sweet pork filling, flaky crust, and the sprinkling of sesame seeds on top, these adorable little packages are an instant favorite!
Chinese flaky pastry (sù bǐng pí 素餅皮) is a laminated dough much like that used for croissants and puff pastry. I find this dough is a lot easier to make than the latter two, as it's far less temperamental.
It consists of two different types of dough (a water dough and a short dough) one encased within the other, then rolled out and folded repeatedly to create crisp layers of pastry.
Imagine taking a bite, and the crust literally shattering in your mouth. It's not quite like a croissant, but rather denser and less ethereal, but it has a lot of flakiness nonetheless. If you look closely you can see each individual layer.
Although some folks will opt for a shortcut using store-bought puff pastry, I highly recommend making your own dough for these Chinese roast pork pastries. Char siu sou are usually shaped into triangles in dim sum restaurants, but shaping them into rectangles as I do is easy and tastes exactly the same.
Ingredient notes
- Char Siu (Chinese Roast Pork): You may use homemade or store-bought char siu (Chinese roast pork) for this recipe. Find prepared char siu in the cooked foods section of Chinese supermarkets (I get mine at Good Fortune Supermarket). You can also use homemade char siu, which I have done in the past as well. If you do, you can adapt the linked recipe but use 2 pounds of trimmed boneless pork shoulder (quartered into strips of about equal thickness) in place of the pork tenderloin.
- Fat: Chinese flaky pastry (sù bǐng pí) is traditionally made with chilled lard, however you may use vegetable shortening or unsalted butter with delicious results. I have always used cold unsalted butter when making this pastry and it's exquisite.
- Hoisin Sauce: Hoisin sauce is a thick sweet and savory sauce with a dark brown color. It's often used in meat marinades or as a dipping sauce. I often describe it as a Chinese barbecue sauce though it's nowhere near as sweet as American barbecue sauce because of its abundance of salty soy.
- Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce is a popular ingredient in many Chinese recipes. It contains oyster extractives and is common in many stir-fry recipes. It adds more depth of flavor to this incredible pork filling.
How to make the Chinese flaky pastry
First make the water dough by combing flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Sprinkle in pieces of cold lard/shortening/butter and process 10 seconds until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
Transfer mixture to a bowl, make a well in the center, and add the warm water. Stir into a ragged mass, then gently knead for about 2 minutes to create a soft, smooth, and slightly elastic dough. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the short dough. Put flour in the food processor and sprinkle in the cold lard/shortening/butter. Process for 10 seconds to blend into a lumpy mixture (PHOTO 1). Transfer to the same bowl as before and squeeze with your fist until the dough comes together into a cohesive mass resembling soft cookie dough (PHOTO 2).
Next, encase and laminate the Chinese pastry dough. Gather and pat the short dough on a lightly floured surface into a 3-by-4-inch rectangle. Set aside. Return the water dough to the lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a 5-by-8 ½-inch rectangle, with one long edge toward you (like a landscape photo). Place the short dough in the center of the water dough, with one short edge toward you (like a portrait photo).
Fold the sides of the water dough over the short dough with the edges overlapping slightly (like enclosing a photo in a letter) (PHOTO 3). Press the overlapping edges and both ends to seal in the short dough completely (PHOTO 4).
Roll out in the direction of the folds to make a rectangle about 6-by-18-inches (PHOTO 5). Fold the dough into thirds to form a 6-inch square (PHOTO 6). Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Unwrap the dough and roll it out again in the same direction to make a 6-by-18-inch rectangle as before. Fold in thirds, wrap, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding processes once more (that’s 3 times total). Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it at least 30 minutes, and up to 1 day ahead, before the final rolling and shaping.
How to make the 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 your cornstarch slurry a stir and add to the skillet. Cook for 30 seconds longer, or until the sauce has thickened. Then, stir in the char siu and remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature.
How to assemble and bake
Roll out the prepared dough into a 13-inch square (PHOTO 7). Using a ruler, trim off the uneven edges to make a 12-inch square (PHOTO 8).
Then cut the dough in thirds crosswise and quarters lengthwise to make 12 (3-by-4-inch) rectangles (PHOTO 9). Place 1 tablespoon of the char siu filling across the center of each rectangle in the 3-inch direction, leaving about ½-inch border on either side for sealing (PHOTO 10).
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 the Chinese roast pork pastries on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling, spacing sealed char siu sou rectangles 1-inch apart on the baking sheet.
Brush with egg wash, then sprinkle them with sesame seeds (PHOTO 11). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden (PHOTO 12).
Cool briefly on a wire rack. Char siu sou are best served warm, but are also delicious at room temperature.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
Unbaked char siu sou may be covered and frozen until firm and then transferred to a zip-top freezer bag. Place frozen pastries on a baking sheet as above and let them thaw 30 minutes before proceeding.
Baked char siu sou can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen. Reheat them in a 350°F oven or toaster oven until the filling is warmed through and the pastry is crispy and flaky, about 10 minutes.
Although you could use store-bought puff pastry for these Chinese roast pork pastry puffs, I highly recommend making the Chinese pastry from scratch. Chinese pastry has a heftier, denser texture that retains its crispness much longer than puff pastry. The process is time consuming (mostly waiting) but not difficult. You can even make the pastry in advance to break up the work over 2 days.
Other recipes you may like
- Homemade Pork and Vegetable Egg Rolls
- Ants Climbing a Tree (Ma Yi Shang Shu 蚂蚁上树)
- Chinese Scallion Pancakes
- Honey Sesame Chicken
- Pork and Chive Dumplings
- Pork and Cabbage Dumplings
- Jiu Cai Jiao (Chinese Chive Dumplings)
- Stir-Fried Greens with Dried Shrimp
- Karipap Pusing (Malaysian Spiral Curry Puffs)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Char Siu Sou (Chinese Roast Pork Pastry Puffs)
Ingredients
Water Dough (Outer Layer):
- 5 ounces (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chilled lard, vegetable shortening, or cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch pieces
- 5 tablespoons warm water
Short Dough (Inner Layer):
- 3 ¾ ounces (¾ cup) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons chilled lard, vegetable shortening, or cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch pieces
Char Siu Filling:
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- 4 ounces char siu (Chinese BBQ pork) finely diced (homemade or store-bought)
Topping:
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- To make the water dough: combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse 2 to 3 times. Sprinkle in the pieces of lard/shortening/butter and process 10 more seconds until the mixture looks like coarse meal. (Alternatively, put ingredients in a mixing bowl and use your fingers in a quick rubbing motion to combine).
- Transfer mixture to a bowl (if you used food processor method), make a well in the center, and add the warm water. Use a wooden spoon or your fingers to stir into a ragged mass. Gently knead for about 2 minutes to create a soft, smooth, and slightly elastic dough. Pressing your finger in the dough should cause the dough to slowly bounce back, leaving a faint impression. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the short dough: put the flour in the food processor and sprinkle in the lard/shortening/butter. Process for 10 seconds to blend and generate a mealy, lumpy, soft mixture. Transfer to the same bowl as before and squeeze with your fist until the dough comes together into a soft but cohesive mass. (Alternatively, put the ingredients in the bowl and use your fingers or the back of the wooden spoon to mash together until no flour is visible). It will resemble soft cookie dough.
- To encase and laminate the dough: Gather and pat the short dough on a lightly floured surface into a 3-by-4-inch rectangle. Set aside. Return the water dough to the lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a 5-by-8 ½-inch rectangle, with one long edge toward you (like a landscape photo). Place the short dough in the center of the water dough, with one short edge toward you (like a portrait photo). Fold the sides of the water dough over the short dough with the edges overlapping slightly (like enclosing a photo in a letter). Press the overlapping edges and both ends to seal in the short dough completely. Roll out in the direction of the folds to make a rectangle about 6-by-18-inches. Fold the dough into thirds to form a 6-inch square. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Unwrap the dough and roll it out again in the same direction to make a 6-by-18-inch rectangle as before. Fold in thirds, wrap, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding processes once more (that’s 3 times total). Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it at least 30 minutes, and up to 1 day ahead, before the final rolling and shaping.
- To make the 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: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the prepared dough into a 13-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 rectangle in the 3-inch direction, 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 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden. Cool briefly on a wire rack. These are best served warm, but are also delicious at room temperature.
Notes
- Unbaked char siu sou may be covered and frozen until firm and then transferred to a zip-top freezer bag. Place frozen pastries on a baking sheet as above and let them thaw 30 minutes before proceeding.
- Baked char siu sou can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen. Reheat them in a 350°F oven or toaster oven until the filling is warmed through and the pastry is crispy and flaky, about 10 minutes.
- Dough adapted from Asian Dumplings, filling and assembly adapted from Dim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
nicholas anthony shu says
so its a laminated dough. Half turns and book turns anybody?
Victoria says
Yes, it's a laminated dough.