For my fellow girlies who struggle with protein shakes or just bao lovers in general!
Alice Sun (@alicecsun) shares a unique view into her life through the ways she uses food to nurture wellness, cross cultural divides, and bring people together, all through the medium of storytelling.
Alice Sun•
October 29, 2025
If I CAN turn a comfort food into a healthier daily alternative, I WILL find a way. And these baos/buns, whatever you’d like to call them, are the product of that. Not going to lie, protein shakes have always given me a bit of the ick. I can never get over the flavor nor the weird chalky texture that inevitably affects every shake, unless you’re blending it into a smoothie. But in the middle of the winter, I wouldn’t be caught with a cold smoothie in hand, probably one of the worst things to do during this season according to Chinese Medicine!
When it comes to this bao recipe, see it more as a formula — feel free to swap in your preferred protein choice (chicken, tofu, shrimp etc.) and whatever veg you have on hand. It’s meant to be customizable and flexible~
Start by marinating the pork (5 slices) in soy sauce (1 Tbsp), wine (1 Tbsp), and cornstarch (1 ½ Tbsp)
Set to the side while prepping the veggies
Mix together the sauce, combining soy sauce (1 Tbsp), dark soy sauce (1 tsp), honey (1 Tbsp), oyster sauce (1 Tbsp), and cornstarch slurry into a small pot that can be put on the stove top
Bring a pot with steamer to boil, then drop in the baos (2–3) to steam for ~5 mins
In the meantime, set the sauce to simmer then boil and reduce until thick enough to coat back of a spoon
Also start to cook your protein — in this case I just seared the pork on both sides until golden brown
Assemble to baos, with a smear of the sauce on the bun, lay on the protein, veg, and tuck in
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