Di Bao Bun Ke Di Bao Wow
Michelle Phetlhe | Monday April 26, 2021 15:30
I’ve travelled a fair share mo lifing when I was younger, I look forward to doing more of it as an adult where I can appreciate food culture sentle ntle. Covid le dilonyana santse di re jalasetsa, alas we still take our palates on a trip from our own home kitchens. I saw some buns a while back made with a bamboo steamer and kicked myself for not buying the steamer ke se bona in Block 3 last year. I was determined to make these buns, they are fluffy and look cute, before filling them they look like big mouths, ready to gobble up what’s cooking. One more thing I noticed is that this is a steamed bread and we have our very own steamed bread in Tswana cuisine which is ledombi (dumpling). Both breads are eaten with a serving of meat but couldn’t be more different in preparation and consistency, madombi are not light, they fall straight into filling food category. (The Itis)
Whenever Chellzkitchen gets a bread recipe the first thing that comes to mind is 2i dough (dough made with 2 ingredients) which we make with Nutriday for the best results. Can this recipe be achieved with 2i dough?
I thought I had shared the ultimate list of what is possible with 2i dough. Today I am here to tell you to never mind, to forget anything I ever said about limitations to 2i.
The sky is also the limit in the kitchen and for sure 2i takes cooking to new levels. We bravely decided to follow the cooking instructions for Bao Buns and not the ingredients.
It was a bit of a concern if the dough would steam the same, but the instinct said yes yes yes! Do it , cooking is a feeling, cooking can be a skill, but cooking is love. And so we carried on, with my boys starving for supper the excitement of having Bao Buns was crazy, they were also so very tickled by the name and ran around the house screaming Bao Bums, Bao Bao, Bao Buns.
Bao Buns are super versatile and can be filled with meat or vegetables. Whatever your dietary preference is, everyone can enjoy a Bao Bun. We had ours with a yummy shallow fried Asian inspired flavoured chicken and some crunchy veg. I’m super excited to try a pulled pork variation. These buns are so filling one doesn’t need a side, but a nice light salad would couple well with the buns. An Asian slaw maybe. Baos are hugely popular across China. Buns vary from the size of a dumpling to the size of a burger depending on which region you’re eating them in. Here we’ll give you a brief guide as to how Baos became popular and how they differ from region to region.
Bao buns
Ingredients
2i. Bread
2 Cups Flour
1 ½ Nutriday Yoghurt
1tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
Chicken
5 tbsp Vegetable oil
2 eggs - lightly beaten
3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
10 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic salt
2 tsp paprika
Chicken breast/fillets - chopped into bite-size chunks
Sauce:
1 tbsp garlic - peeled and minced
1 tbsp white/red wine vinegar will work too
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce - use more or less depending on the brand and how spicy you like it
3 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
Mix dry ingredients and Nutriday Yoghurt and roll your dough 1cm thick. Sting a big glass or bowl, cut out circles for your buns. Brush the circles with oil and fold in half. Slightly give them a roll with your rolling pin before placing them in the steamer. Do not over crowd the buns. Steam them for 8min and ensure you do not disturb them.
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan until very hot.
Whilst the oil is heating, place the egg in one shallow bowl and the cornflour in another shallow bowl. Add the flour, salt, pepper, garlic salt and paprika to another shallow bowl and mix together.
Dredge the chicken in the cornflour, then dip in the egg (make sure all of the chicken is covered in egg wash), and finally dredge it in the seasoned flour. Add to the wok and cook on a high heat for 6-7 minutes, turning two or three times during cooking, until well browned. You may need to cook in two batches (I find I can do it in one batch so long as it’s no more than 3 chicken breasts). Remove from the pan and place in a bowl lined with kitchen towels.
Add all of the sauce ingredients to the hot wok, stir and bubble on a high heat until the sauce reduces by about a third (should take 2-3 minutes). Add the chicken back in and toss in the sauce to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Turn off the heat and divide between four bowls. Serve with Bao Buns and top with Onion/ Red Cabbage/ Sesame seeds and Spring onions.