Vegetarian Bao

A favorite dim sum dish of ours is bao - a steamed filled yeast bun.  While the foundation for many bao fillings is based on diced, cooked meat (such as roasted pork), there are also vegetarian and vegan options.  And, they can taste as least as good as the meat versions.  Here we present a vegetarian bao which is adapted from Kenneth H.C. Lo’s 1974 Chinese Vegetarian Cooking (ISBN 978-0394706399).  Note that it is worth considering doubling the amount of dough as there will be enough filling and these bao freeze well for future instant meals or snacks.  When we only make a single batch of dough we enjoy eating the extra filling as a topping over rice.  Note that we call for baked tofu which can be found in any Asian market. If you want to make your own, take a look at William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi's encyclopedic The Book of Tofu. 

Dough

1 tablespoon dry yeast dissolved into ¼ cup warm water
4 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn oil

Allow dissolved yeast to activate and become foamy.  Pour into mixing bowl with remaining ingredients.  Mix until all are incorporated and knead for 5 minutes until the dough becomes satiny.  Cover and allow to double in bulk, approximately 2 hours.

Stuffing

5 oz Chinese Cabbage, cut into ½ inch dice
4 oz spinach, cut into ½ inch dice
1½ tablespoons sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons canola oil
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
8 dried Shītake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes until soft
1 small leek, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, and cut into strips using a potato peeler
4 oz Crimini mushrooms, cut into small dice
2 cakes baked tofu, cut into small dice
1 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon hot chili oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Toss Chinese cabbage and spinach with sesame oil and salt.  Let rest for 30 minutes.

Cut carrot strips into 1” long segments.  Heat canola oil in wok until just smoking.  Add in Shītake mushrooms, leeks, and carrots.  Stir fry for 2 minutes.  Add in Crimini mushrooms, baked tofu, and remaining ingredients and continue stir frying for another 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour hot stir fried mixture over the top of the marinated greens.  Mix well and let cool to room temperature.

Assembly and Cooking

Place an ample quantity of water into the bottom of a steamer.  Bring to a boil.

Punch down the dough and divide into 3 equal pieces (6 if you have made a double batch of dough).  Roll each into a cylinder, and then cut each into 8 equal-sized segments. 

Roll each segment into a 4” diameter circle.  Place at least 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each round, gather up the exposed edges, and twist shut.  Place on a 3” square piece of parchment paper, and then both into a steamer rack.  Keep the stuffed buns separated by at least 1”.  Repeat until all 24 dough pieces have been used.       

Allow buns to rise for 30 minutes; be sure to not let them over raise as they will grow together during steaming.  Once the racks are filled, place them over the steamer basin of boiling water.  Steam for 8 minutes and then rotate the racks.  Steam a remaining 8 minutes.  Remove from steamer and let cool before removing from the racks. 

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