BAO BUN FILLING RECIPE VEGETARIAN RECIPES

Steps:

• To prepare the filling, rub five-spice powder evenly over pork. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 18 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°, turning pork occasionally. Remove pork from pan, and let stand 15 minutes.
• Cut pork crosswise into thin slices; cut slices into thin strips. Place pork in a medium bowl. Add onions and next 7 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon salt); stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate.
• To prepare dough, combine 1 cup warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
• Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour, oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)
• Punch dough down; let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a clean surface; knead in baking powder. Let dough rest 5 minutes.
• Divide dough into 10 equal portions, forming each into a ball. Working with one dough ball at a time (cover remaining dough balls to keep from drying), roll ball into a 5-inch circle. Place 1/4 cup filling in center of dough circle. Bring up sides to cover filling and meet on top. Pinch and seal closed with a twist. Repeat procedure with remaining dough balls and filling.
• Arrange 5 buns seam side down, 1 inch apart, in each tier of a 2-tiered bamboo steamer. Stack tiers; cover with lid.
• Add water to a large skillet to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Place steamer in pan; steam 15 minutes or until puffed and set. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Place the flour, salt, yeast, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of the oil and 145–150ml/4¾–5fl oz warm water together in a jug (make sure the water is on the hotter side of warm to the touch, depending on how humid the room feels – if the air feels very dry, add a little more water, but if it is very humid, a little less water is required). Pour half of the liquid into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir into the flour mixture using a spoon. Gradually add the rest of the liquid until all the flour has come away from the sides of the bowl. Once combined, remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 5–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be fairly wet, but still manageable. If the dough is too sticky, use a little extra flour to dust the outside of the dough when kneading. If the dough feels a little dry, add a small amount of water to get a tacky feel to the dough.
• Once the dough is smooth and elastic, dust with 2 tablespoons of flour, scraping off any additional dough from the sides of the bowl. Knead 5–6 more times and then shape the dough into a rough ball. Coat the dough ball lightly with the remaining oil, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave in a warm, preferably moist, draught-free location for 1–1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, you can mould it into whatever shape you wish before steaming. To make hirata bao, the lip-shaped bao pictured above, roll the proved dough into a thick cylinder, similar to the size of a salami. Divide the cylinder into 7–8 pieces and roll each piece between the palms of your hands to create individual balls of dough. Roll until each ball is smooth. Press down on each ball of dough with your palm to flatten. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll each flattened piece out further to make elongated oval shapes.
• Lightly brush the top of each oval with a little vegetable oil. Then gently fold one side over the top to form a lip-shaped bun. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rest for a further 15–20 minutes. After resting, the buns are ready to steam.
• Place 3–4 buns on greaseproof paper or non-stick baking paper in a bamboo steamer basket, leaving plenty of room between the buns. Stack the steamer baskets and cover with the lid. Half-fill a wok with boiling water and place over a high heat. (If using a metal steamer, see the Recipe Tips.) Add the steamer baskets and steam for 8 minutes, without removing the lid. Once steamed, the buns will be cooked through and well risen.