vegan steam-fried bao

Ingredients:

• Water Roux:
• 20g All purpose flour
• 100g water
• Dough:
• 1 TBSP Instant yeast
• ~85g Water
• 20g Sugar
• 10g Vegetable oil
• 300g All purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• Sesame seed (optional)
• Cooking oil
• Filling: A total of 2 packed cups of any filling of choice. I used: mushrooms, cabbage, yuba, carrot, wakame, celery, chopped nuts.
• Potli Chili Oil for dipping

Instructions: 

1. Prepare filling ahead of time and let cool.

2. Whisk water roux together in a pan until smooth. Constantly stir and cook on medium-high heat until thickened. Cover and let cool to room temperature.

3.  In a small bowl, combine instant yeast with water & sugar. Let sit in a warm dark place for a few minutes.

4. In a mixing bowl, combine the rest of the dough ingredients with activated yeast and water roux. Knead on medium-low until dough forms a ball and doesn’t stick to the bowl anymore, about 15 minutes.

5. Divide dough into 12 equal balls. Cover and proof for 30 minutes in a warm place.

6. Roll each ball of dough into 3.5” circles, place about 2 TBSP of filling on each dough and pinch the edges to form a ball. Dab one side of the bun in a bowl of sesame seeds if desired. Vegan Steam-Fried Bao

7. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

8. In a frying pan, heat some cooking oil and fry both sides of the buns on medium-high until golden brown.

9. Turn the heat up to high, add 1/3 cup hot water to the pan with the buns.

10. Cover and let steam-fry on medium-high for 12 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.

11. Serve hot with chili oil.