Bánh bao chay (Veggie Steam Buns)
These Banh Bao Chay are fluffy and flavorful. The jam-packed veggie fillings are light and flavorful and complement the fluffy steamed bao. Enjoy these for breakfast or as a light snack. This step-by-step recipe will teach you how to make the best Bánh bao chay.
Equipment
- parchment paper Cut into 3 X 3 inch squares (12 squares)
Ingredients
- 1 cup jicama finely diced
- 1 cup carrot finely diced
- 1/2 cup cabbage finely chopped
- 1 cup dried black fungas rehydrated and finely diced
- 3-4 shiitake mushrooms finely diced
- 3-4 stalks of green onion separate whites and greens, finely chopped
- 1 bunch mung bean vermicelli hydrated and cut in 2-inch length
- ½ cup white onion finely chopped
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp oil
Dough
- 1 banh bao premix flour I use TL Bon Con Voi Brand for this recipe
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp oil
Instructions
To make the dough with premix flour
- In a small bowl combine the milk and sugar.
- Add flour to the mixing bowl and set aside 1 tablespoon for dusting. Pour the milk and sugar mixture into the mixing bowl. Use the dough hook attachment and mix on low setting for about 2 minutes or until the dough is well combined. Add oil and mix for 30 seconds. Cover the dough with saran wrap and set aside for 30-40 minutes.
Prepare the filling
- In a large pan with high sides, cook the whites of the green onion, shallots and onions with 2 tbsp of oil for a minute or two over medium-high heat. Add the finely diced jicama and carrot and cook until carrot is tender. You may need to add 1 tbsp of the measured soy sauce and about 1/3 cup of water to cook and deglaze the bottom of the pot.
- Once carrot is tender, add the chopped black fungus, cabbage, and shiitake mushrooms and stir for 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped, hydrated mung bean noodles, the last of the soy sauce, the greens of the green onion and stir to mix through. As the noodles cook, they'll absorb moisture from the rest of the mixture and sort of bind it together to make it easier to stuff the bao. There should be no liquid left at the bottom of the pan.
- Add white pepper and adjust if you would like more soy sauce. Let the filling cool.
To make the banh bao
- After 30 minutes or so of the dough resting, turn it over to a floured surface and divide in to 12 pieces. Cover the divided dough with a damp towel while you are assembling them so they don't dry out.
- Use a rolling pin and roll the divided dough to about 1/4 inch thickness (6 inches in diameter). Add about 3-4 tbsp of the filling into the middle of the dough then pinch the outside edges together and twist to assemble the bun. Place the assembled buns on the parchment paper. Repeat for the remaining divided dough.
- Fill a steamer pot with water and add 1 tbsp of vinegar. The vinegar will prevent the buns from turning yellow.
- Steam on medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let the buns cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Use premix flour. Rather than making the dough from scratch use premix flour and the best one I have tried is the TL BOT BANH BAO brand (Has 4 elephants on the bag)
Wrap the lid of your steamer with a dish cloth. This step is so important to prevent the condensation from dripping down into your bun and making them wrinkly!
Avoid overstuffing. To make sure there are no holes do not overstuff with the filling. Before you add the baos to the steamer make sure there are no holes on the top and squeeze them so it prevents the bao from opening when its steaming.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!