Bao

Bao

Tags

Chinese
Vegan

Cook

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tsp instant active yeast
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 200g king oyster mushrooms
  • Half a block of tofu (drained and pressed)
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
  • 2 ½ tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp Chinese five spice
  • A generous pinch of pepper
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 3 small shallots, finely diced
  • 4cm ginger, finely diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

Steps

  1. Cut twelve 8cm by 8cm squares from a piece of baking paper and set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add ½ cup of warm water and 1 tbsp of oil.
  3. Combine roughly with a wooden spoon, then start with your hands. Add a little more water gradually, tablespoon by tablespoon.
  4. Knead for 10 minutes until it is elastic and smooth. Form the dough into a ball, place in a bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes.
  5. After the dough has rested, knock the air out with your hands and divide the dough into 12 equal portions.
  6. Knead each ball briefly before rolling it out into a 10cm diameter circle.
  7. Dice mushrooms and tofu into small pieces.
  8. Mix the soy sauce, wine, hoisin sauce, sugar, five spice, pepper and vinegar in a bowl.
  9. Cook mushrooms and tofu in the wok then remove from the wok.
  10. Cook the shallots until translucent then add the garlic and ginger.
  11. Return the mushrooms and tofu to the wok and season with 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil.
  12. Lower the heat, pour the prepped sauce over the filling and mix everything well.
  13. Add the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch with warm water) and simmer briefly until thickened.
  14. Place a dough circle in your palm, put 1 tbsp of filling in the middle and then pinch the edges above the filling so that the dumpling resembles a little sack.
  15. Warm the water in the pot the steamer will attach to but make sure it doesn't boil.
  16. As soon as you finish one dumpling, place it on a square of baking paper and put it in the steamer leaving lots of space between them.
  17. Once all dumplings are ready, place the steamer over warm water and allow the dumplings to prove for 20-30 minutes until they get about ⅓ bigger.
  18. After the proofing time, bring the water under the steamer to a gentle simmer and steam the dumplings for about 15-20 minutes.