An Asian twist on Christmas mince pies, these Vegan Mince Meat Bao Buns are fluffy and stuffed with a sweet and zesty filling.
What is mince meat?
Mince meat is essentially a mix of dried fruits, nuts, citrus flavours and alcohol. Even though it’s called mince meat, the more modern version doesn’t contain actual meat. If you want to read more on traditional mince meat, read this blog post.
Many recipes include sugar, but I find that the mince meat doesn’t require extra sugar because the dried fruits are already sweet.
Mince meat is most famously used in pies during Christmas, but I decided to switch up a few of the ingredients and put them in a bao bun instead!
I adapted the bao recipe from my Vegan Pan Fried Mushroom + Chive Buns. It’s super easy to make, and yields an amazingly fluffy bao bun.
What you’ll need to make vegan mince meat
To give the classic mince meat an Asian flair to it, we’ll be making a few swaps!
- red and green raisins
- dried longan
- Chinese red dates
- dried figs
- almonds
- lemon zest and juice
- orange zest and juice
- green apples
- Chinese 5-spice powder
- cinnamon
- ginger powder
- Chinese cooking wine
This vegan mince meat bao bun recipe isn’t traditional in the slightest, but if you like eating mince pies, this is a fun switch up for you to try!
If you liked this recipe, here are a few buns you might like:
If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!
Vegan Chinese Mince Meat Bao Buns
Ingredients
Mince meat
- 70 g red raisins
- 70 g green raisins
- 50 g dried longan
- 50 g Chinese red dates pitted and cut into small pieces
- 30 g dried figs cut into small pieces
- 50 g almonds chopped
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 1 orange zest and juice
- 1 small apple peeled and grated
- 1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger powder
- ¼ cup Chinese cooking wine*
Bao
- 180 g all-purpose flour more for dusting
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 160 ml warm water
- 1 tbsp oil
Instructions
Make mince meat
- In a pot over medium heat, toast the almonds until fragrant and slightly browned. Mix in everything else except the wine, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and let cool before stirring in the cooking wine.
Make bao dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Pour in the warm water and oil, and combine everything with a spatula until a dough forms.
- Transfer on to a floured work surface. With floured hands, knead the dough for 3-4 minutes, dusting with flour whenever it starts to stick. You should get a dough that is smooth, no longer sticky and springs back when you poke it.
- Shape into a ball and let rise covered with a kitchen towel in an oiled bowl for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Fill and pleat bao
- On a floured working surface, divide the dough into 8-10 equal parts. Cover them with a kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out while you work.
- Taking one piece of dough, knead it briefly and shape it into a ball. Flatten the ball of dough into a small round. Then start to roll only the edges of the dough, rotating the round 45° after each roll. The edges should be thinner then the center.
- With the dough on your left palm, place 1 tbsp of mince meat in the center of the round. Use your right thumb and first forefinger to pleat the dough while using your left thumb to press down on the filling. Rotate the bun as you pleat. Once you reach the end, pinch the last bit of dough together then press it down.
- Place it the pleated bao on a square of parchment paper, and repeat with the other dough. Cover with a damp kitchen cloth and let rise for another 30 minutes.
Steam bao
- Steam bao for 10 minutes. Let sit in the steamer/pot for 5 minutes before removing them from the steamer.
- Enjoy them warm.