On Wednesday, it was #NationalBaoDay! So, what’s a Bao? If you google it, you’ll probably get the Pixar animated short “Bao”, about a Chinese woman suffering from empty nest syndrome, and brings to life a little dumpling to represent her son.
In food, they are steamed buns called baozi, or bao for short. They are little meals conveniently packed away in a white, warm, soft bun. The choice of fillings from sweet to savory, meaty to vegetarian. Barbecue pork buns is probably the most popular, which are filled with a savory and slightly sweet concoction of roasted fatty pork and Chinese barbecue sauce.
Traditionally served at lunch during Dim Sum time, it was hard to locate a place for dinner. I found Min’s Dumplings in Anaheim, located off Euclid and the 5 freeway, just a few doors down from the 99 Ranch Market, and the UPS store. They had steamed barbecue pork baos we were looking for, and we also added the steamed juicy pork dumplings, known as Xiao Long Baos, and an order of Shanghai fried noodles.
Everything was made to order, so the steamed items took longer. The noodles came out right away, steaming hot. They were nice and chewy, and I would say, al dente. Delicious, but we had to eat it hot, as once it got cold, it became pasty.
The buns and the dumplings came out together, and piping hot. The meat/ bun ratio on the bbq pork baos was more bun than meat, but it was soft, fresh and very good. Karen commented she liked it. The juicy pork dumplings came 8 to an order, and was good, but the skin was a bit thick, unlike our favorite place, Din Tai Fung.
Overall, it was a good meal. I’d go back for the baos for sure.
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