Vegan Pan Fried Mushroom + Chive Buns (生煎包)

vegan pan fried mushroom + chive buns

These Vegan Pan Fried Mushroom + Chive Buns have the best of both worlds – soft and fluffy bun with a crispy bottom! Featuring a savoury nutritious filling with mushrooms, walnuts and chives, these baos will have you wanting more.

This is my vegan take on the classic pork + chive buns! I would say texture wise they aren’t similar, but that wasn’t the purpose of this recipe in the first place. I was contemplating whether I should name this “Pork” + Chive Buns, but I decided not to because this is delicious bao deserves it’s own identity!

Making the buns

making the bun dough

Baos are pretty similar to western breads, the only difference is the addition of baking powder. This gives them an extra lift, making it fluffy. It’s perfectly normal for the buns to come out slightly yellow. If you want perfectly white buns simply use bao flour in place of all-purpose.

folding the dough into balls

An important step (refer to the pictures above) is to fold each piece of dough into a ball before rolling them out to fill. This helps the buns to have smoother skin.

The vegan mushroom + chive filling

The main components of the filling are mushrooms, walnuts and chives.

mushroom and chive filling
  • mushrooms: I’ve tested this recipe with dried shiitake mushrooms and fresh king oyster mushrooms. For some unknown reason, the flavour came out similar (although that wasn’t the case for my Steamed Crystal Dumpling recipe). If you use fresh mushrooms, sub the reserved mushroom water for vegetable stock or just water.
  • walnuts: I used walnuts here because they not only blend well into a meaty filling, but are a rich source of ALA omega-3 essential fatty acids and a whole lot of other nutrients. They need to be soaked overnight as well, or boiled in hot water for 10-15 minutes until soft. If you like a little bit of crunch, you can skip this step. I know walnuts can be expensive, so you can sub them for more mushrooms. Though I highly recommend you try them out!
  • chives: I used a LOT of chives because I love veggie and it’s a chive bun after all! But feel free to reduce the amount if you’re not a huge fan.

Filling and pleating the buns

The guideline my grandmother taught me is this: Position the center of the dough with the filling in the palm of your left hand while using only your right thumb and forefinger to pleat the dough. Rotate the bun as you pleat, using your left thumb to press down on the filling so that it stays in the center. There are pictures here for reference, but check out the pleating video on my Instagram too!

filling and pleating the buns

Tips to make perfect vegan mushroom + chive buns

  • After dividing the dough into equal parts, fold each dough into a round ball before filling the buns. This helps produce a smooth skin!
  • After flattening the dough into a round, roll out only the edges of the dough. That way, the filling will be centered in the bun. Otherwise after steaming, the top half of the bun will just be a lot of dough.
  • Lightly flour your right thumb and forefinger to prevent them from sticking to the dough.
  • Try to keep the edges of the dough round clean. If the edges get oily from the filling, it’ll be hard for the dough to stick together.
vegan pan fried mushroom + chive buns

Overall, these buns are easy to make and 100% worth it. If you follow all these tips, I’m sure you’ll be able to make some of these delicious Vegan Pan Fried Mushroom + Chive Buns for yourself!

Here are a few Asian recipes I think you’ll like too:

If you’ve made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and rating below, tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss or Facebook @Eatwkriss. Remember to use the hashtag #eatwkriss so that I can see your amazing recreations.

vegan char siu bao chinese bbq pork buns

Vegan Char Siu Bao 叉烧包 (Chinese BBQ Pork Buns)

eatwkriss
A dim sum staple made vegan: Char Siu Bao or Chinese BBQ Pork Buns. With a sweet umami tofu char siu filling and the fluffiest buns you'll ever sink your teeth into.
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Resting Time 30 mins
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Malaysian
Servings 10 baos

Ingredients
  

Bao dough

  • 200 g bao flour sub for low-gluten flour or cake flour
  • tsp instant yeast
  • tsp baking powder
  • 50 g white granulated sugar
  • 100 ml lukewarm water
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • all-purpose flour for dusting

Char siu filling

  • 1 shallot minced
  • 150 g vegan char siu*
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
  • ½ tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ tbsp cornstarch
  • white pepper to taste

Instructions
 

Make the bao dough

  • In a medium bowl, add all the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour in the water and mix together.
  • Once a shaggy dough forms, transfer to a floured work surface. With floured hands, knead the dough for a 5-7 minutes. Dust with flour whenever it starts to stick, but be careful not to add too much. You should get a dough that is soft, no longer sticky and springs back when you poke it.
  • Shape into a ball and place back into the bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Cook the filling

  • In a pan over medium heat, fry the shallots with some oil until fragrant. Add in the vegan char siu and cook for 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat and pour in the sauces, water and cornstarch slurry. Season with white pepper to taste.
  • The filling should be slightly sticky, not too dry or wet. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Fill the bao

  • Transfer the rested dough on to a floured working surface.
  • Roll the dough out into a rectangle with a rolling pin, fold it over itself in half then roll it out again. Repeat twice more.
  • Starting from the longest side, roll the dough tightly into a log. Then divide the dough into 10 equal parts, 35-40g each.
  • Cover the dough balls with a kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Flatten each ball of dough into a small round with your palm. 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. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  • With the dough on your left palm, place 1-1½ tbsp of filling 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 the pleated bao on a piece of parchment paper and put directly on your steaming surface. Repeat until all buns are assembled. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise for 15 minutes.

Steam the bao

  • With the bao in the steamer, start with cold water and turn on the heat. Once the water starts to boil, steam the bao for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and keep the lid on. Let the bao rest for 5 minutes before opening the lid.
  • Serve warm.

Notes

*I used my Vegan Char Siu in this recipe. Some people use king oyster mushrooms to replace the char siu, however I find that it doesn’t taste very similar to char siu. If using mushrooms, increase the amount of seasoning as the vegan char siu is already flavourful on it’s own.
This bao recipe is adapted from Guangdong pastry chef, Li Qi Da.
Keyword bao, buns, savoury, sweet, umami
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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vegan pan fried mushroom + chive buns pin

4 thoughts on “Vegan Pan Fried Mushroom + Chive Buns (生煎包)”

    1. hi rebecca, i dont do calorie counting 🙂 ive tried it myself, but have found it stressful and unsustainable for me. hence i dont include them in my recipes as well. i hope you’re alright with that!

  1. 5 stars
    I just made these for the first time and am SO grateful to have found such a delicious go-to recipe! I have been a pescatarian for two years now and am constantly looking for more vegetarian recipes to change things up. These hit the spot. I made a big batch to last multiple days and everyone loved them. Thank you!

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