Baozi

[包子]

Boazi, or Bao: steamed buns stuffed with a variety of sweet or savoury fillings, are one of China’s most popular culinary exports, and, thanks to the large Chinese diaspora, can be found in various forms across the globe.

The origins of the dish date back nearly 1,800 years, to a period when China was divided into three separate, warring-states, each ruled by their own respective emperors. During this time, Zhuge Liang, a prominent politician and military strategist from the state of Shu Han (蜀漢), was leading an expedition when several of his soldiers fell ill; in response to this Liang conceived a head-shaped dish comprised of meat and flour, which he offered to the gods in the hope that his men would be cured.

Our vegan version pairs shiitake mushrooms with miso, and is served with a crispy chilli dipping sauce, peanuts, and shredded cucumber.

Makes 6 Baozi

Time 120 mins

For the Baozi Dough

3g of dried active yeast

10g of sugar

120ml warm water

225g white all-purpose flour

3g of baking powder

A pinch of salt

Shiitake Mushroom Filling

150g shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped

100g plain tofu/beancurd, crumbled

3 spring onions, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 thumb of ginger, peeled & grated

1 tbsp of miso paste

1 tsp of dried red chilli flakes

1/2 tsp of ground fennel

1 tbsp of toasted sesame oil

Crispy Chilli Dipping Sauce

4 spring onions, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 thumb of ginger, grated

2 tbsp of tomato paste/ 2 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped

3 tsps of dried chilli flakes

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tbsp of black sesame seeds

1 star anise

120ml vegetable oil

2 tsps of soy sauce

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

To Serve

Cucumber, shredded

Peanuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Start by combining your yeast and sugar with warm water, in a bowl, mix with your fingers, and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Mix the flour, baking powder & salt together in a bowl. Turn the dry ingredients out onto a work surface, and create a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture in the middle of the well, and gradually combine the flour mixture with the liquid, drawing the flour into the centre. Knead for 1-2 minutes, or until a dough forms.

With clean hands, roll into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, and cover with clingfilm. Store in a warm, dry place for 1.5-2 hours, or until the dough has almost doubled.

In the meantime, you can make the filling. Place a large frying pan or wok over a medium heat, and add 1 tbsp of sesame oil for 1-2 minutes. Add all of your ingredients for the filling and fry for 3-4 minutes. Here, it is important to gently cook the ingredients so they start to release their flavours, but not to over cook anything as the filling will be cooked again when steaming the baozi. Allow the filling to completely cool down before adding to the baozi later on.

For the dipping sauce, add 2 tbsp of oil to a large frying pan or wok, and place over a medium heat. Once your oil has heated up, add your garlic, ginger, spring onions, and both types of chilli, and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add your star anise, tomato paste, black sesame seeds, and salt, along with the remainder of your oil, and fry for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add your vinegar and soy sauce, place in a small bowl, and set aside for serving.

Once your dough has almost doubled in size, place on a floured work surface, and knead for approx. 8 minutes, or until it is stretchy and has a good shine to it. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls (measure with scales if you have any), and cover with a damp cloth.

To shape your buns, ensure you have clean hands so your baozi don’t end up with an uneven texture. Take a ball of dough, flatten with your palm, and roll out into a circle approx. 8-10 cm in diameter. Try to keep the centre of the disc thicker than the outer edges - this will help when folding. Place 1 heaped tbsp of filling in the centre of your dough disc. Place the disc in your left hand and seal using your right index finger and thumb. First, pinch the corner of the dough with your right index finger and thumb, and repeat this action whilst rotating the dough clockwise with your left hand. When you have finished sealing the baozi, twist the pleats further with your right index finger, to ensure it does not leak whilst steaming.

Place your baozi on a 7x7 cm piece of greaseproof paper, pleat-side down, so they have a smooth, round top. Repeat until you have prepped all of the baozi.

To cook, place a bamboo steamer over a saucepan that is half filled with boiling water. Place the baozi in the steamer (ensure you leave space in between them as they can grow up to 50% larger) and allow to prove for 5 minutes. The amount of baozi you cook each time will largely depend on the size of your steamer (we advise using a large one); ours has a diameter of 20cm, and we cook 2 baozi at a time in each tier.

Once proved, bring your pan of water to the boil and steam the baozi for 15 minutes. After your baozi have cooked, turn the heat off and allow to rest in the steamer for a further 5 minutes. Cut the cucumber lengthways into 1/2 cm strips, coarsely chop your peanuts, and set aside for serving.

Before eating, remove the greaseproof paper from the baozi, and serve with your dipping sauce, shredded cucumber and peanuts on the side.

Poppy MistJune 12, 2020