Homemade bao is super fun to make. It was pretty hard to figure out the shaping process but with a little practice, they can look pretty decent 😉. This filling has been through a lot of testing. I really wanted to use jackfruit but alone it wasn't super tasty. The addition of the cabbage and carrots definitely helped but what stepped up the flavors up were the black bean chili paste and ginger. In order for the folds of dough to hold, the dough has to be quite dry, however, after being steamed, it turns moist and fluffy. Enjoy!
↑assembly
Ingredients (makes 15 buns)
for the dough
217ml warm water
1 Tbs yeast
416g flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
for the jackfruit
20oz can of green jackfruit, drained and rinsed
1 Tbs sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs "oyster" sauce
1/2 tsp chili black bean paste
1 Tbs maple syrup
ginger to taste
sprinkle of mushroom umami powder
for the veggies
1 Tbs oil
half a medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
half a cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
the sauce (for the filling)
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 tsp chili black bean paste
1 Tbs cornstarch + 1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp mushroom umami powder* optional
1 Tbs "oyster" sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ginger
*the filling makes enough to fill 30 buns, so if your only wanting 15 with no leftovers you can split the fillings (the veggie, sauce and jackfruit) in half. If you make the full filling recipe and have leftovers you can add it to stir fries, curries, or just make more buns!
Instructions
1. To make the dough; mix together all the ingredients until everything is fully combined. Set aside and let it rest for 2 hours.
2. For the jackfruit; Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients, you may need to break up the jackfruit into smaller pieces. Let the jackfruit soak up the sauce and then bake for 20 minutes.
3. For the veggies; Heat up the oil in a large pan, cook the onions until translucent, add in the garlic and cook for about a minute before adding the cabbage and carrot. Saute until everything has wilted and softened. While its cooking make the sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients together. Pour the roasted jackfruit and sauce into the pan of veggies. Stir everything together and cook on low until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Knead the air out of the dough, divide into 15 portions and shape them into balls. Let the dough balls rest for 20 minutes. Fill and shape the buns. Check out this video for ways to shape buns. Steam them for 15-20 minutes. Serve fresh or store in the fridge.
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