My mission to veganise the foods of the world continues with Chinese vegan boa buns. Have you guys had gua bao before? They are steamed buns similar to dim sum, that you usually see in bamboo steamed baskets at your favourite Chinese joint, but instead of being stuffed, these bao buns are folded over variety with all kinds of sweet, savoury, crispy and crunchy fillings tucked in. Gua bao” (pronounced gwa-bow) is a Taiwanese steamed buns or in my best description, your Taiwanese-style “gorditas” or hamburger, often packed with slowly braised “meat” (won’t reveal it here), pickled cabbage, ground sweet peanuts, coriander, and occasionally hoisin sauce. Gua baos are a popular Taiwanese street food and are currently among the popular trends at food carts and restaurants in the U.S and around the world.
These vegan shiitake mushroom gua baos are the perfect thing to veganise and are healthier, imo. Slathered in hoisin sauce and stuffed with tender shiitake mushrooms in sweet and savoury garlic sauce and crunchy peanuts, what more can you ask for? For me, it was love at first bite (and sight), which is funny as these were simply meant to be a means to an end. All combined, it's a messy, colourful, glorious snack of salty, sweet, pungent, and fresh flavours, with multiple textures to boot.
Cilantro adds a fresh herbaceous touch. But if you don’t like cilantro, you can use any fresh green you like. Parsley would be nice; scallion greens too. If you can get your hands on some frozen vegan buns and just want to make the filling, go for it. The whole process of making these will be a lot easier. But if you can’t, fear not: making your own vegan steamed buns at home really isn’t that tough.
IF YOU EVER GIVE THIS RECIPE A TRY, DO LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND/OR TAG @FRUITYEMZ AND HASHTAG #FRUITYEMZ ON YOUR INSTAGRAM POST! I WOULD LOVE TO SEE ALL YOUR YUMMY CREATIONS 🙂
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