I love me a steamed bun, and these gua baos (lotus leaf buns) with pickled bok choy, saucy pan fried mushrooms and crunchy fresh veggies are a must try if you're looking for a delicious vegan dinner option! Perfect for a friday night dinner when you want to make something extra delicious. I make my buns from scratch, but if you buy premade ones this could also be a pretty quick and easy weeknight recipe!
Dough:
180g flour*
45g cornflour/cornstarch
30g granulated sugar
1,5tsp dry yeast
128g water
*I use an extra fine, white flour made specifically for steam buns, but all purpose flour will work too.
Pickled bok choy:
1 spring onion/scallion
2 cloves garlic
one head of bok choy
100g rice wine vinegar
4g (1tsp) kosher salt
50g granulated sugar
½ tsp chili flakes
5 black peppercorns
Mushrooms
300g oyster mushrooms
1tbsp neutral cooking oil
1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp Kecap manis
Fillings:
1/2 carrot
sriracha mayo
fresh coriander
Method:
Pickled bok choy:
Wash the bok choy and remove the green leaf from the stem/base. Keep these as whole as possible and keep in the fridge, you’ll be using them as filling for the bao! Slice 60g of the white part of the bok choy into slices about 1-1.5 cm thick. Add it to a mason jar or deep bowl. Finely slice the garlic and spring onion and add to the jar as well. In a saucepan add your sugar, vinegar and salt and bring to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, take it off the heat and pour into your mason jar. Close it and leave to cool down in the fridge while you make the rest.
Dough: Mix all ingredients for the dough and knead into a ball. Cover and let rest for at least 1hour or until about doubled in size. Knock out the air and knead until smooth. Divide into 6 equal balls and onto a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the balls into elongated oval shapes. They should be straight on the long side and rounded on the short sides, so that they can be folded in half to make that classic gua bao shape. Layer a piece parchment paper in the middle and fold it in half over the paper (this is to prevent them from sticking together) and place the folded bao onto another square of parchment paper. Place the buns into a steamer basket over a pan of simmering water and steam for about 10 minutes. Once steamed, turn the heat off and leave the buns to rest in the steamer for a few minutes before opening.
Mushroom: Add the mushrooms to a pan with 1tbsp neutral oil and cook over medium heat until they have released most of the water and start to go golden. Add soy sauce and kecap manis and toss until all mushrooms are evenly coated. Cook until they start to go crispy and set aside.
Filling + serving Peel a carrot and chop into strips, finely slice about â…“ cucumber and a scallion into strips as well. Layer in sriracha mayo, your chopped veggies, pickles and mushrooms. Finally, add some fresh coriander and enjoy!
