Xinjiang Cuisine · FFET10308
Kao baozi (baked meat pie)
A square pie of thin dough around diced lamb and onion, baked against the wall of a clay oven.
A white porcelain plate holds square baked pies with thin golden dough, an egg and yolk glaze and sesame seeds, enclosing diced lamb leg, onion and cumin, with a pair of wooden chopsticks resting beside the plate.
The regional cooking of Xinjiang, with naan, pilaf, mutton and wheat foods.
Kao baozi is a pie of thin unleavened dough around diced lamb and onion, folded into a square or triangle and baked against the wall of a clay oven. It is a common pastry in Central Asia and is often baked in Xinjiang; 2 accounts from 2026 describe a shop run by 3 generations in Luopu County and an old shop in Urumqi. No dated text was found for the pie, and the age of excavated nang bread does not date it.
What
Kao baozi is a pie of thin unleavened dough around diced lamb with some fat and chopped onion, folded into a square or triangle and baked against the wall of a clay oven.1,2,4,6,7,8
When
No dated text was found for the pie; the June 2022 nang-making craft entry records nang bread over 3,000 years old from tombs at Wubao in Hami and over 1,800 years old from tombs in Luopu, but does not mention baked buns, so these finds do not date the pie.5
Where
It is a common pastry in Central Asia and is often baked in Xinjiang. A May 2026 account describes a shop run by 3 generations in Luopu County; an unsigned August 2026 account describes an old shop in Urumqi. The available material does not identify its place of origin.1,2,3,4
How
In a method documented in August 2026, diced lamb with some fat is mixed with plenty of chopped onion, salt and black pepper, wrapped in thin unleavened dough folded into a square, slapped onto the clay oven wall and baked for about 10 minutes. The pies are served with brick tea.4
Impact and influence
Luopu County has a shop run by 3 generations, and an old shop in Urumqi bakes the pies and serves them with brick tea.3,4
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
This is the kao baozi I bake in my home oven. I have no clay oven at home, so this is a simplified home version. The amounts, oven temperature and time follow a recipe by a named author, 230 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes with 450 g of lamb; the conversions from pounds and cups to grams and milliliters are my own estimates. A recipe from a Uyghur food blog is also an oven method, with less dough and meat, making 7 pies and giving no oven temperature, and another signed recipe bakes at about 200 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes. All of these are oven methods, not clay oven methods, and I mention the last two just in the tips.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour, for the dough 300 g
- Salt, for the dough 1/2 teaspoon
- Vegetable oil, for the dough 2 tablespoons
- Egg, for the dough 1
- Warm water, for the dough about 120 ml (the recipe says 1/2 cup)
- Leg of lamb, for the filling about 450 g, cut into small dice
- Onion, for the filling 1 small, finely chopped
- Salt, for the filling 1 1/2 teaspoons
- Cumin, for the filling 1 tablespoon
- Black pepper, for the filling 1 1/2 teaspoons
- Toasted sesame oil, for the filling 2 teaspoons
- Egg yolk, for brushing 1, mixed with 1 teaspoon of water (I use water; the recipe allows milk or water)
- Sesame seeds, for sprinkling as needed
Steps
- Mix the diced lamb with the chopped onion, salt, cumin, black pepper and sesame oil, cover it and chill it in the refrigerator.
- Mix the flour, salt, oil, egg and warm water into a dough, knead it for 5 to 10 minutes, cover and rest it for 15 minutes, knead it again for 2 to 3 minutes, then rest it for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius meanwhile.
- Divide the dough into 10 pieces, roll each into an oval, and put 4 to 5 tablespoons of filling in the middle.
- Bring the two long edges together over the filling, then fold the ends in and pinch the seams shut. I set them seam side down.
- Brush the egg yolk and water mixture over the tops, sprinkle on the sesame seeds, and set the pies on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Bake on the middle rack at 230 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes, then let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes before eating. The crust should be golden, and I cut one open to check that the lamb is cooked through with no pink.
Tips
- Another signed recipe bakes at about 200 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes and starts checking at 25. Ovens differ, so I also look at the color a little before the time is up.
- Too much filling makes the seams split, so I never use more than 5 tablespoons in one; this is my own way.
Allergens: wheat, egg, sesame