Steamed Vegan Bao
Although I’m not a vegan (yet!), whenever I develop a vegan twist to a classic dish, I always challenge myself to make it even better than the original. Of course if you are a hardcore meat lover, I can’t possibly win this fight. But you can’t stop me from trying! This Steamed Vegan Bao recipe is definitely one I would be proud to say to anyone: Try this and you will not miss the meat!
A little pet peeve about the name of this dish. Bao is simply the anglicized spelling of the Chinese word 包 which means buns or bread. So please don’t call these “bao buns” unless you try to be cute to speak in baby language, the equivalent of saying “bun buns”.
I teach a Steamed Vegan Bao online cooking class if you are interested in learning how to make this in a virtual classroom setting using Zoom.
That moment when you open the lid to a freshly steaming basket of bao is pure culinary happiness.
A few extra tips on the recipe:
I purposely want to create a feast of colors when I tear open this steamed bao. So each ingredient was thoughtfully picked for its color, flavor, texture, and nutritional value. Having said that, it’s also important to be able to use substitutes when one or more ingredients are not available. I’m all for being flexible in the kitchen and have as little waste as possible. So here’s some additional information for each of the ingredient:
Garlic chive: the main flavor of the filling and for the vibrant green. I would substitute with green onion if you are not able to find this. Other green vegetable could work too but if it’s a watery type (like cabbage or bok choy), you’d want to add a bit of salt to sweat the vegetable for 30 min and squeeze out the liquid before adding to the filling. Otherwise, your bao could become too soggy and the flavor of the sauce will be diluted.
Dry tofu: the main protein of the filling and adds a great texture and unique color too. You could substitute with regular firm tofu but make sure you squeeze out all the liquid first.
Shiitake mushroom: the main umami flavor of the filling and unique texture too. You could experiment with other mushroom but bare in mind that mushroom tends to sweat too.
Carrot: adds sweetness and a beautiful color to the filling.
Mung bean noodle: acts like a sponge to absorb extra liquid in the filling to prevent the bao from getting soggy. If you know of another ingredient for this purpose, please let me know!
A rainbow of ingredients each serving a unique purpose in the filling!
If you are nervous about pleating the bao, just know that you could just pinch it close and flip it over with the seam side down for steaming. You will get an equally delicious bao without learning how to pleat!
Pleating is not difficult at all, just muscle memory! It’s quite meditative once you get the hang of it.
Another key technique to create the perfect bao is the steaming process. You do need to use a steaming basket - bamboo or stainless steel - so the steam could pass freely through the bao during the cooking process. You also definitely need to line the basket with parchment paper so they don’t stick to the basket. Never overcrowd your basket too as the buns do expand. Last but not least, bao doesn’t like the sudden change in temperature so this is why you put the bao in the steamer before the water gets hot, and you let it sit for 5 min after steaming before you open the lid. If you miss these 2 steps, your bao will not have the perfect shape it’s destined to have.
The double basket is almost a necessity to this recipe because you don’t want to regret by making too few of these at a time!
Steamed Vegan Bao 蒸素包
Prep to Serve: 2 hours
Cleanup: some work
Freezes well
Makes 10 bao
Vegan
Must have ingredients for the dough:
Active dry yeast, 3/4 tsp
Sugar, 1 tsp
Warm water, 3/4 cup (105-110F, or 40C)
Flour, 280 g (~2.5 cups)
Must have ingredients for the filling:
Chinese chive, 1 cup (finely chopped)
Bean thread noodle, 1/2 bunch (~1/2 cup)
Dry shiitake mushroom, 1/3 cup (soaked, diced)
Carrot, 1/3 cup (grated)
Dried tofu, 1/2 square (diced, ~1/4 cup)
Miso, 3 TBSP
Light soy sauce, 1 TBSP
Chinese rice wine, 1 TBSP
Sugar, 1 tsp
Water, 3/4 cup
Corn starch, 1.5 TBSP (mixed with 2 TBSP water to make slurry)
Steps:
Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Wait 10 min to foam up. Add flour to create dough. Knead until smooth and not sticky. Cover with damp towel to proof in a warm place for 1 hour.
TIP: Leave last ~1/4 cup of flour for kneading
TIP: Water at max 110F or 40C
Meanwhile, soak noodle and dry mushroom in hot water until soft. Finely chop noodle, mushroom, chive, tofu, and grate carrot. Put all in large bowl. Mix corn starch & 2 TBSP water for slurry.
TIP: Save mushroom water for Step 3.
Mix miso, soy, wine, sugar, water (or mushroom water) in small bowl. In small pot, bring sauce to boil. Add slurry to thicken. Pour into large bowl with chive & mix well. Put filling in fridge to cool.
Meanwhile, knead dough for a few min to remove air pockets. Divide into 10 equal parts. Roll each part into a round circle (~4" diameter) with thinner edges than the core.
TIP: Core is ~2" diameter and double thickness (~1/8") than the edges (~1/16")
Put 2 TBSP of filling in middle of dough. Pleat along the edges to close the bao. Arrange all the buns in a bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper with space between. Cover & rest for 15 min.
TIP: Instead of pleating, simply pinch to seal the dough, flip over with seam side down to steam.
Put 2 cups of cold tap water in a wok or large pot with steamer on top. With medium-high heat, steam the bao for 15 min. Then turn heat off but let sit for 5 min before opening the lid. Serve hot or freeze.
TIP: Start the 15 min timer from cold water. Should start boiling half-way through.
It's okay:
To use fresh or dry shiitake mushroom but dry is preferred. Best to soak dry mushroom in cold tap water overnight (or okay with hot water for 30 min). Keep mushroom water for the sauce.
To use fresh instead of dry tofu as the protein of choice. Press hard with paper towel to dry out first.
To replace Chinese rice wine with dry sherry, gin, sake, or mirin.
To save leftovers in fridge or freezer and reheat by steaming for 5 min or 8 min (without thawing), respectively.
It's not okay:
To use hot water in Step 1 as it will kill the yeast.
To over-proof the dough in Step 1 as the dough will become too airy and lost its elasticity after kneading.
To over-crowd your steamer as the buns expand while steaming.
To start steaming from hot water in Step 6 or skip the last 5 min of rest because the buns will change shape and collapse with sudden change in temperature.
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