Veggie Bao(Chinese steamed buns)

Instructions

Filling:

1. 1

   In a wok, heat the oil and add chopped onion and serano pepper to it.

2. 2

   Cook onion on high heat for 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add green bell pepper and ginger and keep stirring. Cook on high heat for 3 minutes.

4. 4

   Add the asian vegetables and cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Stir intermittently. I used frozen Asian veggies, so I microwaved them to get them to almost room temperature before adding them to the wok.

5. 5

   Add in the stir fry sauce and sugar and keep stirring.

6. 6

   Cook on high heat for another 2 minutes with constant stirring.

7. 7

   Take off heat and let cool.

Buns:

1. 8

   Warm the water to about a 110 degrees F(warm to touch) and add yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar to it. Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes or until frothy.

2. 9

   Add in the rest of the sugar, oil and 1 cup flour and mix well.

3. 10

   Add 1 cup flour at a time and knead into a soft dough.

4. 11

   Knead for 5 minutes until smooth.

5. 12

   Place dough in a well oiled and covered container for an hour or until doubled.

6. 13

   Knead dough on a well floured surface and divide into small balls. I ended up with 10 balls.

7. 14

   Roll each ball to form a rough circle with thick middle and thin edges.

8. 15

   Drop some filling in the middle and gather the dough on top to enclose the filling and pinch the edges close.

9. 16

   Place the buns on a well oiled steamer plate or bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper. I used an idli steamer, used to steam indian rice dumplings.

10. 17

    Let buns rise for 10-15 minutes.

11. 18

    Steam buns in boiling water for 10-12 minutes.

12. 19

    Serve warm !