An Underground Food Group Starts A Bao-Crazed Revolution In Brooklyn

You may have heard more than a few New Yorkers obsessing about Momofuku's steamed pork buns before, and that's not a coincidence. The soft, doughy cushions that encase tender, savory pork meat always manage to make our mouths salivate — Momofuku branded or not — and we thought we were pretty bad about it, too, until we heard about this underground supper club called The Baoery.

Based out of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, The Baoery was started by a group of friends who, after a dinner party or two, decided that the delicious culinary creations that they were making for each other should be shared with everyone. What started as dinner parties have now evolved into pop-ups throughout Brooklyn, where they'll make guest appearances at a local venue and pair their food with a house specialty.

Their culinary inspiration? You guessed it, the bao.

Using the traditional Chinese steamed bun as a driving force, the folks at The Baoery experiment and test all sorts of taste and flavor combinations, from savory to sweet, to sell at their pop-ups and catered events. And yes, as you may have assumed, the name "baoery" is in reference to their star of the show, but is also a "cheeky nod," as they put it, to the underground cultured Bowery Electric in New York City. If you can't get enough of steamed buns either, join them this Thursday, August 16th at the Trophy Bar in Williamsburg for food, drinks, and dancing, and check in with Facebook and Twitter to see where they're bao-obsessing next. If you're nowhere near Brooklyn, here's one of their signature bao recipes that they shared with us for you to try at home.
 

Spicy Dick's Chicken Katsu Curry Bao Recipe

We loved this bao recipe because of the crunchy chicken paired with the pillowy bao bun and spicy curry sauce.

Anne Dolce is the Cook Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @anniecdolce