This delicious vegan bao bun recipe from Evonne at Good Nude Food is a perfect parcel of zingy springy flavours! Sticky sweet mushrooms paired up with fresh veggies, herbs and gut-loving sauerkraut. You could buy the buns and teriyaki sauce pre-made, but we’ve included recipes for both for the freshest made-from-scratch option.

 

For the buns (makes 6 small buns)

Ingredients

  • 150g gluten free plain flour
  • 24g baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 75g tapioca flour                                
  • 50g potato starch            
  • 120-150ml rice milk                    
  • 30g coconut sugar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl, then pour in 120ml rice milk and oil, and stir until liquid is incorporated. Knead the dough until mostly smooth. If the dough seems dry after kneading with your hands for a few minutes, add remaining liquid (1 tsp at a time more as needed). The dough should be stretchy, moist and sticky, but not so wet that it sticks to your hands.
  2. Roll the dough into a log and slice into 6 even pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball with your hands, then place the balls of dough under a damp towel or piece of cling film to prevent them from drying out.
  3. Prepare your steamer - ensure that it’s filled with plenty of water and allow it to come to a boil over medium to high heat.
  4. Taking one dough ball at a time, roll it out between two pieces of baking paper, until about ¼ inch thick, leaving a slightly thicker lip at each end. As this dough is gluten free, it may crack at the edges; you can use a little bit of milk or water to smooth out any cracks.
  5. Place a small piece of baking paper over half of your rolled out dough and gently fold the dough over in half. Place onto a small square of baking paper and set back under the towel or clingfilm to keep moist.
  6. Once all the dough balls are prepare, place each one (on top of its small square of baking paper) into the prepared steamer, and steam for around 8 minutes.

For the teriyaki sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp tamari or dark soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp water
  • ½ inch piece of ginger, grated
  • ½ lemon, juiced

Method

  1. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Place all ingredients, except the corn starch and 2 tbsp water, into the pan and whisk well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
  2. In a small bowl combine the corn starch and 2 tbsp water.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the corn starch mix, while stirring / whisking. Stir consistently until you get a good sticky thick sauce. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

For the teriyaki pulled mushroom filling

Ingredients

  • 2 king oyster mushrooms               
  • large pinch salt and pepper
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder                            
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • ½ tsp onion powder                          
  • 120g teriyaki sauce
  • 1 tsp mixed herbs of choice              
  • splash kombucha, beer or water

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
  2. Pull the caps off of the mushrooms and crumble them into a large bowl. Shred the mushroom stalks into thin strands by pulling a fork down the length of them to separate the fibres. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, mixed herbs and salt & pepper to the prepared mushrooms and toss to mix well.
  3. Heat up a frying pan or wok over medium to high heat, then add the oil. Let the oil heat for a moment and add the mushrooms. Give the mushrooms a quick stir and then leave to sear for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Cook until all the water from the mushrooms has been absorbed.
  4. Once the mushrooms are slightly crispy and golden, transfer them back to your bowl, add in the teriyaki sauce and mix well. If your sauce is quite thick, thin it out by adding a splash of kombucha, beer or water. Ensure the mushrooms are coated evenly with the sauce.
  5. Place this saucy mushroom mix onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring gently halfway through.
  6. The mushrooms are done when the sauce has reduced and the mixture is nice and sticky.

To assemble

Stuff the buns with the pulled mushroom filling and top with grated carrot, shredded red cabbage, chopped roasted peanuts, coriander, sliced red chillis and a good forkful of Good Nude Food’s Firekraut.