Homemade Vegan Mushroom Bao Buns Recipes

HOMEMADE VEGAN MUSHROOM BAO BUNS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast, and salt. Add the water little by little and bring the dough together using your hands; you should have a sticky ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth and bouncy.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave in a warm place to double in size for 1 to 1½ hours. (Make the Pickled Cucumbers while the dough rises)
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead for a minute to knock out the air, then divide into 10 equal pieces.
• Take one piece, flatten it into a ½-inch-thick disk, then brush one half with a little oil. Fold the bun into a half-moon and place it on a small square of parchment paper on a tray. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Loosely cover the tray with a kitchen towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes more. (Make the Mushroom Filling while the dough rises.)
• To cook the bao, set a steamer over a pan of simmering water. Put the bao, still on their parchment-paper mats, into the steamer in batches, making sure they don't touch. Cover and steam for 8 minutes.
• Put the vinegar and water into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then pour into a bowl. Add the cucumber, and leave to cool.
• In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, garlic, and sesame oil.
• Heat the canola oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and fry for 6 minutes, until soft and browning at the edges. Stir in the sauce to coat, then turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes, until the sauce reduces and darkens.
• Fill each bao with a generous tablespoon of mushrooms, 3 or 4 slices of cucumber and, for a little crunch, some peanuts.

VEGAN TOFU BAO BUNS WITH PICKLED VEGETABLES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the bao buns: Add the warm water, sugar, and yeast to a liquid measuring cup. Whisk to combine, then set aside to bloom, five minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture and vegetable oil to the well and stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough begins to form. Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Keep extra flour nearby in case the dough sticks to the surface or your hands. Shape into a ball.
• Lightly grease a clean large bowl with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile marinate the tofu: In a medium bowl, whisk together the scallions, ginger, garlic, sugar, five-spice, soy sauce, rice wine, and dark soy sauce.
• Add the tofu to a separate medium bowl and pour the marinade over. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Make the pickled vegetables: Prepare the cucumber, red pepper, daikon, carrot, yellow pepper, and jalapeños and set aside while you make the brine.
• In a large pot or deep pan over high heat, combine the water, sugar, rice vinegar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring the mixture to a boil.
• Add the vegetables the brine. Stir to submerge, then remove the pot from the heat. Let sit while you sear the tofu and bake the buns, about 1 hour, then drain.
• Once the bao dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface. Divide the dough in half, then cut each half into 2 ounce pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
• Working 1 at a time, flatten a ball with your palm on a lightly floured surface. Use a small rolling pin or wooden dowel to roll the dough out to a 5-inch round. Brush the top with sesame oil, fold it in half, and transfer it to a square of parchment paper set on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the bao buns with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and set a bamboo steamer on top. Working in batches, transfer a few of the folded dough rounds at a time to the steamer, making sure the buns are not too crowded. Cover the steamer and steam the buns for 8-10 minutes, until the buns puff up and form a skin on the outside. Very carefully, lift the lid and remove the buns from the steamer. Repeat with the rest of the buns, keeping the steamed buns warm as they finish by covering with a towel.
• Sear the tofu: Remove the tofu from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the marinade.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the tofu and sear on one side until deep brown in color, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until deep brown, 5 minutes more. Remove the tofu from the pan.
• Pour the reserved marinade into the skillet on medium heat and reduce until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Return the tofu to the pan and stir to coat with the glaze. Remove the pan from the heat.
• To serve, slather the inside of the bao buns with hoisin sauce, then add the pickled vegetables, glazed tofu, sliced scallions, and sesame seeds.
• Enjoy!