Yanjin Stuffed Baked Buns 延津火烧
Yanjin Stuffed Baked Buns is featured among the local specialties of Henan.
Image notes
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Yanjin Stuffed Baked Buns (延津火烧) are the pork-filled baked buns of Yanjin County (延津县) in Xinxiang (新乡), northern Henan. In 2013 they were confirmed in the third batch of Xinxiang municipal intangible cultural heritage items.
How it is made
China News Service followed a Yanjin workshop through the sequence: the dough is flung and stretched, spread with the meat filling, rolled up into a shape like a spinning top, spun on an iron plate and pressed flat, then put into the oven, brushed with oil, heated and oiled again. A full oven batch takes about forty minutes.
The water used for the dough changes with the season. Makers call it "shuaishou shui" (甩手水) in winter, "yinyang shui" (阴阳水, 'yin-yang water') in summer and "shou shui" (手水) in spring and autumn, and the dough is kneaded hard and left to rest slowly. In the oven the buns are first smoked over a fierce fire and then kept covered over a gentle one, with oil brushed on from time to time.
The filling is usually good pork belly mixed with fine salt, chopped spring onion and a secret seasoning.
Flavour and texture
China News Service describes a large bun, round on the outside and domed in the middle, with clearly separated layers, a crisp outside and a tender inside, fragrant without being greasy.
Where it comes from
China News Service calls huoshao a traditional snack found only in northern Henan and singles out the Yanjin version as the standout. Pei Shengli (裴胜利), who entered the trade at 21 and has made the buns for more than thirty years, is named as a representative maker; he also runs training classes in the technique.
In recent years the Yanjin county authorities have upgraded the trade, retiring the old coal-fired ovens in favour of electric heat, and online sales now carry the buns beyond the county.
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Xixian Flaky Griddle Flatbread 息县油酥火烧 →
Another Henan huoshao; the Yanjin bun from the north of the province is built around a pork-belly filling rolled into the dough.
Questions before you order
What is inside Yanjin Stuffed Baked Buns?
Usually good pork belly mixed with fine salt, chopped spring onion and a secret seasoning, rolled into the dough before the bun is pressed flat and baked.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-24. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.