Crispy Mushroom & Chicken Gua Bao
Fluffy and tender steamed buns stuffed with saucy vegan chicken, crispy mushrooms, and crunchy veggies! It's savory, sweet, and packed with flavor!
Ingredients
Buns
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 10 tbsp warm water
- 1 and 1/2 tsp dry yeast
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp oil
Chicken
- 1 and 1/2 cup vegan chicken
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1- inch ginger grated
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/8 tsp five-spice powder
- 1/8 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp green onions chopped
Crispy Mushrooms
- 3-4 mushrooms sliced
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 7 tsp water
- a pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
The Rest
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 carrot or use pickled carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 1/4 cucumber sliced (optional)
- fresh cilantro
- crushed peanuts
Instructions
Buns
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder and salt
- In a small bowl, dissolve the dry yeast in the warm water. Add the yeast mixture to the flour bowl. Add the maple syrup and oil, and knead for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth. It should be just slightly sticky.
- Cover the dough with a plastic film to touch and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 and 1/2 hours. In the meantime, prepare the chick'n and the vegetables.
- Once the dough has almost doubled in size, knead for a few seconds and divide it into 9-10 small balls.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball into an oval shape. Brush the surface of each oval with oil and then fold each one in half. Place each bun on a small piece of parchment paper. Cover the buns with cling film and let them rise for another 45 minutes.
- Next, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, place a bamboo steamer on top. Place 3-4 buns in the steamer and cover with the lid.
- Steam for about 8 minutes, or until puffed up. The buns will still be very light in color, this is normal. Repeat with the remaining buns. While the buns are steaming, you can cook the chicken and the mushrooms.
- To assemble: slightly open each bun, brush the inside bottom with about 1 tsp of hoisin sauce, then fill them with a few pieces of chicken, 2-3 mushroom slices, 2-3 carrot sticks, and cucumber if using. Top with fresh cilantro and crushed peanuts, and serve immediately!
- These buns are best served warm on the same day.
Chick'n
- Using your hands, shred the vegan chicken into small pieces. Transfer to a deep plate.
- Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, grated ginger, garlic, five-spice powder, chili flakes, and green onions. Stir to coat the chicken with the marinade and let it marinate for at least two hours.
- Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes or until slightly golden brown once your buns are ready.
Crispy Mushrooms
- Whisk together the tapioca starch, rice flour, water, and salt in a small bowl.
- Heat the oil in a deep saucepan. Once hot, dip each slice of mushroom in the wet mixture, slightly shake to remove the excess coating, and immediately add the saucepan. Be careful not to burn yourself. The oil is hot.
- Fry 2-3 slices of mushrooms at a time for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove the mushrooms using a spatula or slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel to remove excess oil.
- Repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
Notes
- Frying mushrooms is optional, if you don't want to make tempura mushrooms, you can simply sauté in a skillet. The buns will still be delicious!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Gua Bao | Calories: 185 kcal | Carbohydrates: 28 g | Protein: 6.2 g | Fat: 5.6 g | Fiber: 1.5 g | Sugar: 3.5 g