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I have made Gua Bao before with these Crispy Mushroom & Chick’n Gua Bao, and while they were awesome I wanted baos with a different flavor profile. Hey, you never have too many bao recipes in your collection. And more to come!
These gua bao feature chewy tofu cooked in a saucy lemongrass, chili, and garlic sauce. Then we have a rich kale pesto, sautéed soy-glazed mushrooms, and carrot pickles. Everything served in a pillowy bun. I’m in love with these!
HOW TO MAKE GUA BAO
Preparing these gua bao require some preparation, but most of it can be made ahead of time, or while the dough is rising.
Here is a recap of what we have:
- The dough: For the best texture and color, I highly recommend using Bao flour. This flour consists of all-purpose flour that has been bleached and combined with tapioca starch. Compared to all-purpose flour, bao flour yields a fluffier texture and a whiter color.
- Pickled carrots: Very easy to prepare, cut your carrots into matchsticks and let them marinate in white vinegar, sugar, and water.
- Kale Pesto: This pesto is rich, earthy, and takes our bao to another level. I went with kale instead of basil for a little twist, and to use what was in season. Now if you don’t have kale on hand, and want to save time, feel free to use store-bought vegan pesto, I won’t judge. Flavor will be a bit different but it will still taste great.
- Sautéed Mushrooms: Simple mushrooms sautéed with a drizzle of soy sauce.
- Saté Tofu: First coated with cornstarch and shallow-fried, the tofu is then glazed with a sweet and spicy saté sauce.
- Extras: Toasted pine nuts for extra crunch and nuttiness, onion slices, cucumber, and fresh cilantro.
First, you want to prepare the dough as it needs to rise for 1-2 hours.
Once the dough has risen, divide into 4 balls and roll them out into a thin oval shape. Brush with oil and fold in half. The oil will prevent the buns from closing, this way we can open them later to add the filling.
Speaking of filling, while the dough is rising we prepare the kale pesto.
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until the kale is finely minced and combined with the oil, garlic, nutritional yeast, and cashews. You will have extra pesto after making the gua bao, use it on toast, marinades, or in pasta.
Now let’s talk about the tofu!
Start with firm tofu and coat it with a thin layer of cornstarch. Next, shallow-fry until golden on both sides. Add the sauce that consists of soy sauce, maple syrup, and saté, and cook until the tofu has soaked up the flavors.
To assemble, open a bun, spread a generous amount of kale pesto, add a slice of tofu, sautéed mushrooms, a few pickles, cucumber, fresh cilantro, and serve!
These gua bao are insanely good and loaded with flavor! Saucy, chewy, herby, and so tender! You definitely won’t stop at one!
If you are looking for more street food-inspired recipes, check out this Pulled Mushroom Banh Mi, Vegan Egg Rolls, or these 10-Minute Chili Almond Butter Noodles!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Sate Tofu Bao with Kale Pesto
Ingredients
Bao Dough
- 1 cup bao flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1/2 tsp dry yeast
- 1 tsp oil
Kale Pesto
- 2 cups kale
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup raw cashews or pine nuts
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 tsp salt
Carrot Pickles
- 1 small carrot cut into matchsticks
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp salt
Sate Tofu
- 7 ounces firm tofu
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp saté
Sautéed Mushrooms
- 1 tsp oil
- 5-6 mushrooms sliced
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper (optional)
Extras
- a handful of cilantro
- 1/4 cucumber cut into matchsticks
- 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- a few slices of onion
Instructions
Bao Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bao flour and sugar. Dissolve the dry yeast in 3 tbsp of the warm water and add to the bowl with the oil. Add the remaining water and knead for about 5 minutes, or until you get a smooth dough. It should have the texture of pizza dough and be very slightly sticky. Place in a bowl, cover with a wet kitchen towel and let it proof for about 90 minutes in a warm place.
- Once the dough has almost doubled in size, transfer to a silpat or working surface slightly floured. Knead again and then divide into 4 balls. Flatten each ball using a rolling pin into an oval shape of a bit less than 1/4-inch. Brush each oval with oil and then fold in half. Place each one on a small piece of parchment paper. Let rise for another 20 minutes.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Depending on the size of your bamboo steamer basket, place 2 or 4 buns inside. Be aware they will expand, so leave about 2-inch between each one.
- Close your bamboo steamer basked with the lid and place it on top of the pot of boiling water. Steam for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
Kale Pesto
- Wash and rinse the kale. Add it to a blender with the rest of the ingredients. Blend on high-speed for about 30 seconds, or until everything is finely chopped and combined. Taste and adjust saltiness and sourness if needed. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Carrot Pickles
- To a small bowl, add the white vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the carrot sticks and let marinate for at least 1 hour. You can prepare it up to 3 days ahead and keep in the refrigerator.
Sate Tofu
- Slice your tofu into 4 thin slices (about 1/2-inch). Add the cornstarch to a plate and coat each slice with cornstarch. Shake to remove excess.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the tofu slices and fry for about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Clean your pan with a kitchen paper towel, leaving about 1 tsp of oil. Heat over medium heat and add the tofu back to the pan with the soy sauce, maple syrup, and saté. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly to make sure the tofu absorbs the sauce. Remove from heat.
Sautéed Mushrooms
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the sliced mushrooms and sautée for about 5 minutes, or until cooked. Deglaze with soy sauce, add the ground black pepper and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl.
To Assemble
- Take one bun and open it to the 3/4. Spread about 2 tbsp of the kale pesto on the inside. Add a slice of saté tofu, a few slices of mushrooms, carrots, cucumber, and some cilantro. You can also add some slices of raw onions and toasted pine nuts. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining buns. If your buns don't stay open, use a toothpick to keep everything in place. Serve immediately!
- For warm bao, you can steam for about 1 minute in the bamboo steamer basket. These are best served the same day, but can be kept in the refrigerator for another day and reheated in a steamer.
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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Once again, Thomas! Another incredibly delicious meal! So many layers of flavor and texture!
My baos did not turn out as beautiful as yours. Guess I need more practice! I rolled them out to much. They were more like a taco! Also, I did not have bao flour, wanted to make this today, and don’t really like to consume flour that has been bleached. So I added 2 T. of tapioca starch per cup, and a little baking powder, since those are the ingredients in the mix.
The kale pesto, the tofu, mushrooms, pickled veggies and toppings (cilantro and onion) made for an absolutely delicious meal. I also made your sate from scratch today, and because our digestive systems can no longer tolerate too much heat, I omitted the peppers, but not the chili powder. All the flavor and none of the burn.
Thank you so much! You are a genius!
Wow, you were quick Beverly! 🙂 Thanks so much for your great feedback, I’m glad you liked the combination of flavors in these gua bao 😉
This was wonderful! Skipped the shrooms because I was out and got premade steamed buns from the Asian narket cuz I’m lazy. Definitely will make this again.
These recipes are absolutely fantastic. Thank you! I always wanted to know how to make bao.
Thank you! 🙂 Glad you like the recipes!
This is my favorite food of all time!!! That’s why I made it for us for Mother’s Day. (Can’t buy this kind of food locally.) So, some of the bao shriveled and collapsed. I’m wondering if it is because I took the lid off the steamer to look at it too soon? The type of flour I used? Doubling the recipe? The first time I used regular white flour. This time I used the 00 pizza flour more readily available. Cooking is both an art AND a science. Would appreciate any insight you can provide as to why the bao collapsed. (Yes, I steamed them on parchment paper, but I have to say that when I lifted the lid of the steamer to see how they were doing, a few just flattened themselves.)
Maybe it’s a matter of “leave the lid on for 20 minutes.” Do not be tempted to look at them!
What do you think, Thomas?
Thanks so much for your great feedback Beverly!
I sometimes take a look at it and open just a little bit the lid too. It should not cause any problem as long as you don’t fully open the lid and let all the steam escape.
From my experience, using all-purpose flour yields more yellow and a bit more dense buns compared to the ones made from bao flour. I have never tried using pizza flour to make bao though but I doubt that would be the issue. Maybe try being less curious next time and don’t open the lid before 15-20 minutes 😉