Meera Sodha’s recipe for vegan mushroom bao

here is genuine pleasure to be had in things that feel just right: the weight of a pound coin, a bath at the perfect temperature, the feel of a well-worn wooden spoon. To this list, I’d add bao: it’s as if this little bun was ergonomically designed for eating – it fits snugly into the nook of a hand; the pillowy dough gives like memory foam; and the semi-circular shape slots cleanly into the mouth.

It’s no surprise that these buns – thanks to Bao, the Soho restaurant, a bit of social media hype and our ever-growing appetite for new tastes and cultures – have become popular in the UK. Especially in the Sodha household.

Ordinarily, the buns are made with milk and the fillings are porcine, but this recipe uses neither. The bun is filled with some of the finest mushrooms in the land, shiitake, which are coated in sesame and soy, covered with sharp cucumbers and finished with a smattering of salty peanuts. It’s everything you need and nothing you don’t.
Mushroom bao

This is a good weekend project, where the paper can be read while waiting for the dough to prove. You’ll need a steamer: the inexpensive bamboo ones are brilliant and can be set very easily over a pan of boiling water, to steam anything to your heart’s delight. Makes 10 bao.

For the bao buns
375g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tsp dried yeast
2 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp salt
1¼ tsp baking powder
225ml warm water
Rapeseed oil

For the pickled cucumbers
100ml rice-wine vinegar
½ cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds removed and cut into very thin half moons

For the mushroom filling
6 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
8 tsp rice-wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
4 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
600g oyster and shiitake mushrooms, cut into 0.5cm slices
1 large handful salted peanuts, ground or very finely chopped

For the bao buns
375g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tsp dried yeast
2 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp salt
1¼ tsp baking powder
225ml warm water
Rapeseed oil

For the pickled cucumbers
100ml rice-wine vinegar
½ cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds removed and cut into very thin half moons

For the mushroom filling
6 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
8 tsp rice-wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
4 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
600g oyster and shiitake mushrooms, cut into 0.5cm slices
1 large handful salted peanuts, ground or very finely chopped

Comments

Annabel Crabb's passionfruit curd meringue cake recipe

This is a cake that looks handsome on the plate. There are effectively six layers, but because the meringue-topped sponges are baked together, the assembly is simpler than it sounds. The passionfruit curd recipe makes about 320g (1 cup), which is plenty to fill the cake. But do consider doubling it; passionfruit curd is a good thing to have in the fridge. Passionfruit curd meringue cake serves 8 125g unsalted butter, softened 330g caster sugar 4 large eggs, separated 70g Greek-style yoghurt 1 tsp vanilla paste 150g plain flour 25g cornflour 1½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp cream of tartar 125ml thickened (whipping) cream Icing sugar, to decorate – optional Passionfruit curd 55g caster sugar 2 eggs, plus 1 yolk extra 60g unsalted butter, cubed Pulp and juice from 4 passionfruit, strained 1 tbsp lemon juice Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line two 20cm springform or loose-bottomed cake tins. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and 110g of the caster su...

Anna Jones’s late summer sweetcorn and tomato curry recipe

My summer was far too short and I’m not ready to let go just yet. I’m wishing with everything I have for another few weeks of sunshine, dinners outside, feet on grass, iced coffees. I don’t yet feel the lure of crisp autumn leaves, knitwear and bowls of soup ... it will come, I know, but for now I’m hell‑bent on keeping summer going as long as I can. So, this week I am doing all I can to encourage an Indian summer, throwing the final spoils of warm weather into a quick curry with some soft chapatis. My kitchen is still cheerful with bowls of tomatoes, citrus, squash and ears of corn. Late corn, less sweet than its earlier renditions, still in paper husks, is all the better for a gentle braise with some spice and a few tomatoes, easy chapati breads as a sidekick, which are even quite meditative to make. Late summer sweetcorn and tomato curry (main picture) Serves 4 4 eggs Coconut or olive oil 2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp black mustard seeds 2 tsp fennel seeds 1 onion, peeled a...

Soba noodles with prawns, herbs and passion fruit vinaigrette recipe

A pile (or pint) of pink prawns is as British as cricket, but for the purposes of this dish, I think king prawns have more of a wow factor. Serves two. 80ml groundnut oil 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 12 sustainably sourced raw king prawns, shelled but with their tails left intact (or 36 raw British prawns) 1 tsp ground turmeric Salt 170g soba noodles 2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly toasted and gently crushed 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 7 passion fruit, pulp strained through a sieve to make 60ml juice 2 limes, juiced, to make 4 tsp 2 tsp fish sauce 1 tsp soft dark brown sugar 15g coriander leaves 10g mint leaves, roughly torn 1 tsp black sesame seeds (or white), toasted Heat 60ml oil in a medium saute pan on a high flame. Add the garlic, prawns, turmeric and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Fry for a minute or two, until the prawns turn pink, then tip into a large bowl and leave to cool. They’ll finish off cooking in the residual heat...

I Love Food Recipes

Search This Blog