I finally got around to making these cute little steamed buns called Bao. They did require quite a bit of work, but it was a lot of fun. I filled them with crispy curry cauliflower, red cabbage, sliced carrot, coriander, crushed peanuts and sriracha mayo. Making them took a while, but eating them was done in seconds! But so full of flavour and great textures, that it still was absolutely worth the effort.

Have you tried or even made Bao buns? What are your favourite fillings?

This recipe takes about 2 hours to prepare, and serves 4 people. The bun recipe is from Swedish Masterchef winner Catarina König.

Bao Buns
2 dl water, lukewarm
15 g fresh yeast (or 7 g dried)
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
0.5 dl neutral oil
4.5 dl plain flour
0.25 tsp baking powder

Prepare the dough:
Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water in a bowl. Add sugar, salt and oil. Mix flour and baking powder and add to the bowl. Work the dough in a kitchen aid or food processor (with dough blades) for about 15 minutes, until the dough is very smooth and stretchy. Leave to rise for 40-50 min, until doubled in size.

Make the buns:
Transfer the dough onto the kitchen counter top lightly dusted with flour. Divide the dough in 12 pieces, making sure they’re equally sized. Shape into balls and roll out to , oval, oblong breads. Brush with oil and fold. Place each bun on individual pieces of parchment paper, about 15×15 cm. Leave to rise for about an hour.

Steam the buns:
Bring water to boil in a large pot. Place 3 buns in a bamboo steamer basket, or use a sieve or colander. Place over the water and steam under a lid for 6 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack, and steam the next 3 buns, etc.

Serving:
Fill the buns with your filling of choice and serve immediately. If you want to prepare the buns and serve them cold, make sure they have cooled completely and place them in a plastic bag until serving.