Bao, Pixar’s adorable, Oscar-nominated short that screened in theaters before The Incredibles 2, was one of our favorite films (of any length) last year. The story of a Chinese-Canadian mother coping with empty-nest syndrome was a heartfelt and beautiful tale about family, dealing with depression, and the power of food to connect us, all while giving us the cutest little dumpling in the world.
But those familial connections went beyond the screen. Bao‘s director Domee Shi told us how she had her mother Ningsha Zhong come to the studio to show animators how to make those delicious steam bun dumplings. The entire process requires so many steps and such great care that even Shi said she was stunned by how much work went into them.
But if you have the skills and the patience to try whipping up a batch yourself, the family shared their very own bao recipe, the same one seen in the movie. If that still sounds too intimidating, one of our favorite YouTube channels, Binging with Babish, will show you how to give birth to your very own bao in his latest video. And don’t worry, none of your food will come alive, but your appetite will.
Yes, we realize that after watching this, the odds of you eating dumplings in the next 48 hours just increased by 3000%, and for that we say, “You are welcome.”
Our favorite part of this video has nothing to do with the actual process of making bao dumplings ourselves (though we do feel like we could possibly pull them off… all so we can devour them in 20 seconds). The best part is seeing Babish struggling to fold the bao correctly, which is exactly what happens to the son at the end of the movie.
It’s no surprise Bao got that just right. They had the whole family working on it.
Featured Image: Disney/Pixar