Boston’s Chinatown is always an area of excitement for me. It’s a sensory overload when I navigate down the narrow streets. My ears become flooded with sounds of honking cars and multi-lingual conversations. Bright neon signs advertise dried medicinal herbs, fruity bubble tea, sweet baked cakes and more as layered savory smells wrap around my head. I fight to ignore these various distractions and focus on the main goal. The one real reason I visit Chinatown: Dim Sum.

This amazing brunch experience consists of various small plates of traditional Chinese food that are meant to be shared. This includes juicy dumplings, steamy lotus leaf pouches bursting with rice, fluffy baked buns, turnip cakes and endless loose leaf tea. It’s great to go with a group to sample as many plates as possible. This guarantees exposure to the variety of textures, flavors, and appearances of the food that the Chinese take pride in. It’s also a win for meat eaters and vegetarians, as tofu, meat, and seafood exist harmoniously on the menu.

I call it an experience because this is not your typical meal out to eat. I usually end up at my favorite spot (which I am keeping a secret!) during the busy brunch rush. When I’m seated, it’s at a large round table where you cozy up with complete strangers. The wait staff weaves swiftly through the tiny packed room delivering small bamboo steamer baskets, teapots, and mini ceramic plates. Many Dim Sum restaurants use the cart system, where carts full of plates wonder around and you can pick and choose what you like. My particular favorite place gives you a long white paper check list menu along with a laminated plastic sheet with pictures of each dish. You check off the items you want, and dishes come out as they are ready.

My Dim Sum staple is steamed buns, but they’re traditionally filled with pork. I became determined to try to make my own at home and fill these delicious steamed pillows with my own veggie mixture. The texture of the dough wasn’t perfect, but the taste factor was right on target.

First, make the dough and allow it to rise for at least an hour. I attempted to use whole wheat flour once and the buns were way too dense, so I went with unbleached all-purpose flour.

While the dough is rising, you can make your filling. I chopped up a whole bunch of veggies and sauteed them all together in one giant wok. I flavored with soy sauce, fresh ginger, cinnamon, and smoked paprika.

Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a long rope. Cut off pieces of the rope about 1 inch thick, and roll out into circles.

Stuff the circles with your filling, and pinch the tops together to create a little dough filled pouch.

Then, I engineered a steamer out of a strainer and a pot of boiling water. Line the strainer with parchment paper or else the buns will stick. Steam the buns for 10-12 minutes until they have about doubled in size. I ate mine with more soy sauce and Sriracha, of course. Enjoy!

Vegan Steamed Buns

March 26, 2015

by Danielle Judson

Category Dairy Free Egg Free Nut Free Oil Free Uncategorized Vegan

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 cup very warm water
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast

Filling

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 5-6 baby bella mushrooms, washed and diced
• 1 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

• Add yeast to the water and stir to combine. Set aside at room temp for about 5 minutes until foam begins to form.
• Add foamy water to the flour a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well to combine. Add water until dough forms that doesn’t stick to your hands. Roll the dough into an evenly shaped ball and place in a covered bowl for at least one hour or it doubles in size.
• While the dough is rising, prep your veggies and throw them all in one bowl together.
• Heat a wok or large skillet to medium-high heat, and toss in all of the veggies. Cook for about ten minutes until the veggies have softened and began to release their liquids.
• Season the veggies with soy sauce, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, and any other spices you like, and set the filling aside to cool.
• When the dough has doubled in size, punch out the air bubbles on a well-floured surface. Knead the dough to be sure that no air bubbles are present, and the yeast is evenly distributed.
• Roll the dough into a long rope, and then cut 1 inch sized slices off. Flatten the slices, and roll them into circles.
• Fill each circle with about 1-2 tablespoons of filling depending on the size of the circle, and then crimp the edges to lock the filling in.
• Prepare your steamer, rice cooker, or strainer invention, and line it with parchment paper before adding the buns.
• Steam buns for 10-12 minutes until they have doubled in size. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing them, as this will help the bun stay intact.
• Serve with soy sauce, Sriracha, or any sauce you like. I sprinkled black and white sesame seeds over mine while they were still hot. Enjoy!

Tags

dim sum,

healthy,

oil free,

steamed buns,

vegan

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