November 12, 2020

Mushroom Bao from Meera Sodha’s “East”

If light, fluffy little sandwiches filled with savory, flavorful mushroom filling and sharp little pickles are you’re idea of a good meal, you are in good company! These mushroom bao are just that- the hearty mushroom filling is the perfect accompaniment to the real star of the show- the fluffy, light bao with their shiny, steamed skins. This recipe is from a fantastic new cookbook, East, by the incredible Meera Sodha. Read on for the recipe to these delicious mushroom bao, and for my review of the book!

About East by Meera Sodha

A quick note to start it all off- normally I only include all-vegan content on my website, but East by Meera Sodha is an exception I’m willing to make. The book is 100% vegetarian, and most of the recipes either are vegan or can be made vegan, but there are eggs and dairy used in the book. I included this book despite the non-vegan elements because I absolutely adore Meera Sodha as a cookbook author. I cook recipes from her book, Fresh India (also vegetarian) every couple weeks- the “stolen mustard greens” and “dholka” are favorites of ours.

In her new book, East, Meera goes beyond Indian cooking to include recipes inspired by countries around Asia, from Thailand to Singapore, Japan and back to India. But the focus of East is actually the same as Fresh India- highlighting vegetables, and delicious, flavorful ways to eat more of them. Rather than being an authority on Asian cooking, East takes inspiration from the countries it touches upon, and brings them back into the home kitchen. This book is perfect for people who want to learn different ways to cook the vegetables they love, explore different flavor profiles and cooking techniques. Most of all, this book is practical- the recipes are fairly simple and reasonably quick. We’re not talking “5 ingredients in 15 minutes” quick and simple, but simple enough that you can make dinner without much planning.

Mushroom Bao — Photo from EAST by Meera Sodha. Copyright © 2020 by Meera Sodha . Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by David Loftus.

East- The Chapters

After the introduction, the chapters of East are as follows:

Snacks and Small Things This first chapter starts off with those edible little moments between meals, and includes veggie heavy bites like these Mushroom Bao (recipe below), Sweet Potato Momos, and Mum’s Beet and Ginger Soup
Salads Bright, flavorful, raw, and colorful, Meera takes inspiration from Indian ingredients and makes new creations, as well as sharing her own versions of traditional Thai salads.
Noodles Because who doesn’t love a good noodle dish? Enjoy Peanut Butter and Broccolini Pad Thai and Caramelized Onion and Chile Ramen and other noodly delights!
Curries From Indian to Thailand to Japan, curries mean something different everywhere, and East will take you on a little journey to all of those places!
Rice Rice is the staple food and a major crop in many parts of Asia, so it makes sense that there are a lot of great recipes featuring rice, including Brussels Sprout Nasi Goreng!
Tofu Although people often think of tofu as being a vegan meat alternative, in Asia where it originated it’s so much more than that. Tofu has been enjoyed by everyone for thousands of years. This chapter features dishes like Chili Tofu, Mushroom Mapo Tofu, and Silken Tofu with Pine Nuts and Pickled Chiles.
Flour and Eggs This section is where a lot of the non-vegan recipes come in, although there are still plenty of vegan options like Kimchi Pancakes!
Legumes Lentils and Beans, it’s all about the pulses! Here you can find recipes like Meera’s beautiful Black Dal.
Sides This section features mostly vegetables in smaller servings- bits that when put together could make you a beautiful, veggie filled meal!
Condiments Everything tastes better with a good sauce, and so East has an entirely vegan section of sauces!
Sweet Finally, let’s end on a sweet note. With offerings like Salted Miso Brownies, Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream and Milli’s Matcha Roll Cake, you’re sure to leave with your sweet tooth satisfied.

After all the recipes, there is a section titled, “Helpful Things” that details some of the less common ingredients used in the book, suggests a few online suppliers, and some further reading for those wishing to learn more about cooking Asian dishes.

Why I’m Sharing Mushroom Bao

Although most of the recipes in East are fairly simple, I went for one of the more complicated ones to share with you all. You by no means need to be a chef to make these mushroom bao, but they take a little time and care in making the dough, letting it rise, shaping, and steaming the buns. But I’m all about the slightly more involved cooking- I’ve made a few steamed bun recipes in the past, which are very similar to bao (except instead of steaming the filling inside the buns, in bao you add it after it’s been cooked). Mushrooms are also one of my favorite thing ever, and this recipe uses a whopping 1 1/2 lbs of mushrooms! One great thing to keep in mind is that mushrooms lose water in the fridge, so use the weight they were when you bought them. I also found that just using a pound would have probably worked just fine.

Wanna get more use out of your steamer? Try one of these steamed recipes!

Making Mushroom Bao

These mushroom bao have three elements- the bao, the mushroom filling, and the cucumber pickle. The bao themselves are the part that needs the most time. Bao buns are yeasted, which basically means that after you make the doughs you need to let it rise (proof) for about an hour, and then a second shorter proof once they’ve been shaped. I do like this recipe because Meera has you make the dough by hand, not in a stand mixer- I’m pretty lazy, and don’t like having to wash my stand mixer! While the dough proofs, you can get your pickles going. Those are just cucumbers, a little hot water, and some vinegar- super easy. After the first dough rises, you can shape the buns, sort of like really fat taco shells. While they proof again, get your mushrooms filling made by sautéing it up in a skillet. After a second rest, the buns need to be steamed to cook them- that’s what creates the pillow-like texture and the shiny skin. The final step before eating is to assemble by opening up the buns, adding some mushrooms and pickles and chopped peanuts. I also added a few sesame seeds and scallions for aesthetic reasons.

Mushroom Bao

Yield: 10 Buns

Mushroom Bao

There is genuine pleasure to be had in things that feel just right: the weight of a pound coin, a bath at the perfect temperature, the feel of a well-worn wooden spoon. To this list, I’d add the bao: this little bun, a staple of Taiwanese street-food stalls, is ergonomically designed for eating—it ﬁts snugly into the nook of a hand; the pillowy dough gives like memory foam; and the semicircular shape slots cleanly into the mouth.

note / You’ll need a steamer: the inexpensive bamboo ones are brilliant.

Ingredients

For the bao buns

3 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose ﬂour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp instant yeast
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1¼ tsp baking powder
1 cup warm water
canola oil

For the pickled cucumber

⅓ cup rice vinegar
½ a cucumber, halved, deseeded, and thinly sliced

For the mushroom filling

⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
2½ tbsp rice vinegar
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp canola oil
1½ lbs oyster and shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
a handful of salted peanuts, ground or finely chopped

Instructions

Start by making the dough. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the water little by little and bring the dough together using your hands; you should have a sticky ball. Turn it out onto a ﬂoured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth and bouncy, then place in an oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave in a warm place to double in size for 1 to 1½ hours.
Meanwhile, put the vinegar for the pickled cucumber into a small saucepan with 3 tablespoons of water. Bring to a simmer, then pour into a bowl, add the cucumber, and leave to cool.
Turn the dough out onto a ﬂoured surface, knead for a minute to knock out the air, then divide into 10 equal pieces. Take one piece, ﬂatten it into a ½-inch-thick disk, then brush one half with a little oil. Fold the bun into a half-moon and place on a small square of parchment paper on a tray. Repeat with the remaining dough, then loosely cover the tray with a kitchen towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes more.
Now for the ﬁlling. In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, garlic, and sesame oil. Heat the canola oil in a frying pan on a high ﬂame, then fry the mushrooms for 6 minutes, until soft and browning at the edges. Stir in the sauce to coat, then turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes, until the sauce reduces and darkens.
To cook the bao, set a steamer over a pan of simmering water. Put the bao, still on their parchment-paper mats, into the steamer in batches, making sure they don’t touch. Cover and steam for 8 minutes.
Once done, ﬁll each bao with a generous tablespoon of mushrooms, 3 or 4 slices of cucumber and, for a little crunch, some peanuts.

Notes

https://veryveganval.com/2020/11/12/mushroom-bao-from-meera-sodhas-east/