Baozi are a common
Chinese food made and eaten all over
China. A Westernized Chinese restaurant probably will not carry them; you may need to seek out a
Chinese bakery, or the frozen section of your local
grocery store that carries
Asian products.
Baozi are a steamed
bun, usually approximately palm-sized in
diameter, made of a smooth cream-colored
dough similar to
mantou. Some are smooth on top, others have a pinched/pleated top. A smooth top with a red dot or glyph indicates sweet
red bean paste filling, but baozi come with everything from
barbecued pork to
chopped vegetables. One makes a good hearty
snack; two is a full
meal. They're sold in
stalls on the streets in
China and
Chinatowns, making a quick, inexpensive and portable lunch or breakfast. Highly recommended. Start with the barbecued pork if you are a bit
leery; the taste of these is amenable to most Western
palates.
Biaozi are often mentioned in connection with
jiaozi, serving somewhat similar functions. Basic recipes for both may be found at
SOAR under "Chinese," or at http://dinnercoop.cs.cmu.edu/dinnercoop/Recipes/cookbook/part1.html