Banh Bao

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 ml soy milk (soy drink), lukewarm
• 40 g fresh yeast
• 500 g flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 50 ml sunflower oil
• some salt
• some flour to work with
• 50 g glass noodles
• 1 small onion(s)
• 2 spring onions
• 1 m.-sized carrot(s)
• 100 g soy mince or crushed tofu
• 1 handful of mu-err mushrooms
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp chili sauce, sweet
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp cornstarch, if desired
• Oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 18 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 18 minutes

Vietnamese filled dumpling, vegan, makes 10 dumplings

For the yeast dumpling, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm soy milk and set aside. Sift the flour and mix it with the sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Add the soy milk and oil and knead into a dough. To allow the yeast to work, knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Then let it rise in a warm place for at least half an hour. For the filling, soak the glass noodles and chop them. Peel and chop the vegetables if necessary. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the onions and the soy mince until crisp. After about 5 minutes, reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining vegetables and noodles. After 2-3 minutes, add the sauces and cornstarch and bring everything back to a boil until the liquid has almost evaporated. The vegetables should now be al dente. Add more seasoning, if desired, such as ginger or garlic. Sprinkle the dough with a pinch of salt and knead thoroughly again. Then divide it into 10 equal pieces. Flatten each piece and fill with 2 tablespoons of the filling. To do this, take the flattened dough in your hand, add the filling, and press the dough edge around the filling thinner to make it easier to close. They’re supposed to be tied together like a fan at the top, but you can make it easier by simply folding the thin sides over each other and placing the “seam” down on the baking paper. Place each dumpling on a piece of baking paper and place it in the steamer basket of a bamboo steamer with a lid for 15 minutes. Don’t place the dumplings too close together, as they will almost double in size. After 15 minutes, remove the lid and steam for another 3 minutes. Instead of using baking paper, you can also brush the bottom of the dumplings with oil; this will reduce waste.