I really like steamed Bao Buns. I was first introduced to them at a small Taiwanese restaurant near my house. You can get frozen bao at most well stocked grocery stores, but not vegan ones, so I set out to make my own. I found the recipe for the bread part of the bao at the King Arthur Baking Company website, and only altered it by exchanging milk with unsweetened soy milk. For the filling I made up my own recipe, including the water chestnuts to give it a little crunchy texture.
1 cup unsweetened soy milk or other nut milk
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast (using the fast-acting yeast is important, regular yeast won't work)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
Heat soy milk until warm but not hot (you should be able to hold your finger in it without discomfort). Add the sugar, oil, yeast, and let sit for a few minutes until the yeast is dissolved. In a separate bowl (use a sand-up mixer if you have one) mix together the salt, baking powder, and 2 cups of the flour. Pour in the liquid mixture, and mix thoroughly. Add enough of the rest of the flour to make a soft but workable dough. Switch to the bread hook or turn the dough out on a floured board, and mix/kneed for another 5-10 minutes until the dough springs back when poked.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour or a little more). Meanwhile make the filling.
Filling
1 bunch green onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp vegetable broth base
1/4 cup soy salt (reduced salt kind is OK if you are worried about your salt intake.
Pat the tofu dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Cut into small pieces, or coarsely mash.
Heat a frying pan or wok on the stove and add a little olive oil. Slice the green onions and put them in the pan to sauté. Add the garlic. Add the tofu and water chestnuts and cook, stirring often, just until it starts to brown. Add the broth base and stir and cook for a few minutes until it is absorbed into the tofu. Add the soy sauce and ginger and stir and cook to blend flavors.
When the bread dough has risen double, punch it down and let it rest for a few minutes. Cut it into 12 equal pieces. Taking one piece at a time (and leaving the other pieces covered) roll each into a 4-5 inch circle. If you can, try to make the outside edge thinner than the center. This will make it easier to pleat.
Pick up the piece of dough in your nondominant hand and spoon in a heaping tablespoon of the filing, Then pleat the outside edge like a fan, and pull them together to make the Bao bun shape. (As you can see from the picture I am not 100% great at this. You can find tutorials about how to pleat it on youtube.) Let them rise for 15-20 minutes.
Steaming
You can use a traditional bamboo steamer, but I don't have one so I just use my vegetable steamer. Place the steamer in a cold pan and add about 1/2 inch cool water. Place each bun on a 3x3 inch piece of parchment paper, and carefully place them on the steaming rack. Don't crowd them as they will expand while cooking. Place a lid on the pan and put it on the hot plate. Turn the heat to medium high. When the water heats enough to produce steam, set a timer for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes is up, remove the pan from the heat and let it rest, without removing the lid, for another 5 minutes. Then you can remove the bao and serve. If you need to cook a second batch, pour the hot water out of the pan, and run the pan and the steamer under cold water until cool. You have to start with a cool pan and water for each batch.
Serve the bao buns hot with your favorite dip. (I like a sweet and sour dip or a sushi sauce dip.) Leftover bao buns can be frozen. Store in a zip-lock bag in the freezer for up to a few months. To reheat, repeat the steaming process above, but only steam for about 10 minutes.
