Make Chihiro’s Red Bean Buns Inspired By Spirited Away
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When it comes to animated feasts, few foods come even remotely close to looking as delicious as the dishes featured in movies from Ghibli Studios. Spirited Away is no exception.
One of my all-time favorite movies, I have fond memories of popping in the Spirited Away DVD into my TV set and imagining my own adventures alongside Haku and Chihiro instead of doing my homework.
While there are many, many dishes in this movie that are worthy of re-creation, I’ve gotten so many requests over on TikTok for Lin’s red bean bun that I knew it had to be the inaugural recipe in my new Ghibli-inspired food series.
While Lin hands what she calls a dumpling to Chihiro after a busy day in the bathhouse, I think that the name was simplified for American audiences in the dub (as many anime shows do).
What Lin is really offering Chihiro is bao, or a kind of steamed bun, filled with red bean paste.
Bao bread is lightly steamed in a bamboo steamer until the bread is cooked through—it is light and fluffy and can be filled with many different fillings: everything from ground pork to fish to beans. One of the many traditional fillings is red bean paste.
This may sound like an unusual filling to American readers, but red bean filling is actually very sweet and often served as a dessert in many Asian cultures.
Here’s What You Need:
- Flour: Cake flour has a higher protein content, giving breads more rise (all-purpose can be used in this recipe or done in a 2:1 ratio).
- Yeast + sugar: These give the dough the most rise and will easily double the size of the dough.
- Vegetable oil: Helps keep the buns moist as they cook and cool.
- Baking powder: Provides additional rise to the dough.
- Adzuki beans: The base of the red bean paste, offering a naturally sweet and earthy flavor.
- Coconut palm sugar: Adds a subtle caramel note; can substitute with brown sugar for a similar effect.
- Ghee: Enhances the smoothness of the paste; butter can also be used.
- Orange zest: Brings a fresh, citrusy twist that complements the sweetness of the beans.
- Salt: Balances the flavors in the filling.
- Dates (optional): Adds extra sweetness and depth if you prefer a sweeter paste.
Making the Bao Dough
The trickiest part of making red bean buns is getting the perfect rise in the dough. Start by mixing warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl or your stand mixer. Let that sit for about 5-10 minutes, until it gets frothy.
In another bowl, mix together your dry ingredients, then stir in the vegetable oil until you have small crumbles. Slowly combine the dry mix with the yeast mixture, stirring constantly, and watch as your dough starts to come together. If you’ve got a stand mixer, use the dough hook to knead it for about 10 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic. If not, get those arms working and knead by hand on a flour-dusted surface for the same time.
Proofing the Dough
Allowing the dough to rise is an essential step to making the perfect bao buns for filling. If you have a proofing setting on your oven, I highly recommend you put it to use in this recipe.
Once the dough is made and kneaded, it needs to rise for at least an hour – or longer – until it has doubled in size. When it has doubled up in size, I rolled mine out into a long log-shape and cut it into about twelve individual dough balls. I recommend keeping a lightly damp cloth handy to place over the dough balls once cut so that they don’t begin to dry out.
Working one by one, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough balls on a flour dusted surface. Make the edges of the wrapper slightly thinner than the center. As you gather up the edges around the filling, you will notice that the bottom quickly gets thicker than the top. Pinch the edges together until the filling is completely sealed inside of the dough.
If there is too dough much on the bottom, twist and pinch off any excess. Then once the dough has been rolled out and cut into individual pieces and after the pieces have been rolled out into wrappers and filled, they will need to rise again until puffed up.
I covered my dough buns with a lightly dampened cloth and proofed them for about 30 minutes while I prepped the bamboo steamer. This was the perfect amount of time to get the buns doubled up in size.
Prepping the Steamer
Traditionally bao is steamed in bamboo baskets over simmering water in a wok. The steam trapped inside of the baskets cooks the buns without letting condensation accumlate and drip onto the buns. I definitely recommend getting yourself a bamboo steamer (affiliate link) if you don’t already have one!
If you do end up going the traditional route and are using a wok and bamboo steamer, just make sure to fill the wok up enough to fully submerge the bottom portion of the bamboo steamer in about 1/4 inch of water. This will create the best seal and prevent any burning.
Steaming the Buns
Once your buns are puffed up, place them in the steamer in batches, making sure not to overcrowd them. Steam them for about 15 minutes with the lid tightly closed—no peeking! Opening the steamer too early can cause your buns to wrinkle, and nobody wants that.
When done, carefully remove the buns and let them cool for about 10 minutes to set the middles. They’re best served warm, fresh out of the steamer, or at room temperature
Expanded Tips For Perfect Bao Buns:
- Watch Your Proof Time: Over-proofing can lead to flat buns. If you’re not ready to steam right away, keep the buns in the fridge between batches to slow the rise.
- Don’t Skip the Second Proof: The second rise ensures the buns are light and airy. Even if you’re tempted to rush, give them the full time to puff up again.
- Use the Right Water Temperature for Yeast: The water should be warm but not hot—about 110°F. Too hot, and you risk killing the yeast; too cold, and it won’t activate properly.
Common Questions About Red Bean Buns:
- Can I use a metal steamer instead of bamboo? Yes, but you may get a bit more condensation, so line the lid with a clean kitchen towel to catch the drips.
- What if I don’t have adzuki beans? You can use canned red bean paste from the store, or try making the filling with kidney beans as a substitute, though the flavor will be slightly different.
- Can these be frozen? Absolutely! Freeze them after the first steam, then reheat by steaming again for about 5 minutes straight from the freezer.
Watch It On TikTok
@fictionalfeastfelicia Replying to @pandoraa512 Spirited Away is hands down one of my favorite movies – nothing beats Ghibli animation! the steamed buns that Chihiro and Lin eat always looked soooo good for some reason, but I never knew what was inside! turns out is a adzuki bean paste that's a both sweet and savory. the sound got removed on this some time ago and I love love love this movie so much I figured now was as good of time as any to share it again! 🐉 #fictionalfeast #reciperequest #fictionalfeastfelicia #spiritedawayfood #chihirosredbeanbun #ghiblifood #spiritedawayrecipe #ghiblirecipe #reciperequests #fictionalfeasts #moviefoods ♬ One Summer's Day – from 'Spirited Away' – Joe Hisaishi & London Symphony Orchestra
What fictional feasts should I make next? Leave a comment below or head over to TikTok to see what others are suggesting!
Whether you’re escaping Yubaba’s bathhouse or just your daily grind, these steamed buns bring a taste of Spirited Away straight to your kitchen. They’re fluffy, comforting, and filled with that sweet red bean goodness that feels like a warm hug from Lin herself. Sure, it might take a bit of time and patience, but the payoff is absolutely worth it when you’re biting into a bao bun that could make even No-Face crack a smile. What should we cook up next on this Ghibli food journey? Let me know—because the world of animated eats is just waiting to be devoured!
Steamed Buns from Spirited Away
Equipment
- stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- sauce pot
- strainer for rinsing/draining beans
- parchment paper cut into 3×3 squares
Ingredients
FOR RED BEAN PASTE FILLING:
- 15 oz adzuki beans drained & rinsed
- ¾ cup sugar (add less for a more savory filling)
- 2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar can sub brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ghee can sub butter
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 dried & pitted dates soaked in 4 tablespoons warm water for 15 minutes (optional, for added sweetness)
- ¼ cup water + more as needed
FOR BAO DOUGH:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour can sub all-purpose
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
FOR RED BEAN PASTE:
- Use a food processor to blend together the ingredients for the red bean paste: adzuki beans, sugars, ghee, orange zest, salt, dates (if using), and water. Add only enough water to blend the mixture into a thin, mostly smooth paste.
- Transfer the red bean mixture to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir with a spatula continuously to prevent the mixture from burning on the bottom. The mixture will darken and thicken as it cooks.
- Continue stirring until the spatula can be pulled across the bottom of the pan and leave a clean path behind it. This process can take 30-40 minutes. The red bean paste should be darkened and thickened.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool at room temperature until no longer steaming hot. Then transfer to an airtight container and chill in the fridge until thickened into a dark paste—about 8-10 hours.
FOR THE BAO DOUGH:
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow the yeast to activate for about 5-10 minutes or until frothy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir the vegetable oil into the dry mix until small crumbles form.
- Slowly pour the dry mix into the activated yeast and water while stirring constantly. Continue to mix until a thick dough forms. Then use the dough hook on the stand mixer to knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Alternatively, tip the dough out onto a flour-dusted surface and hand knead for 10 minutes until smooth.
- Place the dough into a bowl lightly greased with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel, then proof until the dough has doubled in size—about 1-2 hours.*
- Once doubled in size, punch down the dough and transfer it to a surface dusted with flour. Roll the dough into a long log shape, then cut the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces. Alternatively, if making GIANT bean buns (as seen in the movie), only cut into 4 pieces.
- Gently roll each piece into a ball shape. Place the dough balls onto a baking sheet or cutting board and cover lightly with a damp towel.
- Working one piece at a time, use a rolling pin to roll out each dough ball into a 4-6 inch round circle/dumpling wrapper shape. Roll the edges thinner than the center.
- Dollop about 2-3 tablespoons of the red bean paste onto the center of the dough ball. Pull the edges over the filling and tuck, pleat, and pinch until the filling is completely enclosed in the dough. Pinch off any excess dough (as needed) to make the dough an even thickness around the filling. Place each filled dough ball onto a square sheet of parchment. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.**
- Place the filled dough balls back onto the baking sheet or cutting board and cover again with a damp towel. Move to a warm place and rise for another 15-30 minutes or until the buns are doubled in size.*
- Use this second rise time to prep the bamboo steamer. Fill a wok with enough water to cover the bottom quarter inch of the bamboo steamer. Turn the heat on high and bring the water to a rolling simmer.
- Once doubled in size, work in batches to steam the buns without overcrowding the steamer. My steamer fit 3 buns in each basket. Close the steamer tightly and steam for 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE STEAMER OR ELSE YOUR BUNS MAY WRINKLE. Carefully remove the steamed buns from the steamer and set aside. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining buns.
- Allow the buns to cool for about 10 minutes to fully set the middle. Serve the steamed buns warm or at room temperature for best results. To reheat, place the buns back into a preheated steamer for about 3-4 minutes. Enjoy while escaping from Yubaba's bathhouse.
