ingredients

for the spicy beef bao

1 bao bun

1 beef steak

1 red onion

2 tbsp firecracker sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 tbsp spicy asian slaw

1 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise

1 tbsp sriracha

1 coriander sprig, leaves picked

for the mushroom + tofu bao (vg)

1 bao bun

30g mixed mushrooms

100g firm tofu

500ml vegetable oil for frying tofu

2 tbsp gyoza sauce

2 tbsp yakitori sauce

4 tbsp spicy asian slaw

1 tbsp sriracha

1 tbsp vegan mayonnaise

1 coriander sprig, leaves picked

for the spicy asian slaw

1 carrot

1 cucumber

1 red onion

150ml spicy vinegar

for the gyoza sauce

50ml (2fl oz) malt vinegar

1 tablespoon caster sugar

125ml (4fl oz) light soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

for the matcha bao-nut

1 bao bun

500 ml vegetable oil for frying

4 tbsp caster sugar

2 scoops matcha ice-cream

2 tbsp caramel sauce

sprig of mint

sesame seeds to garnish

for the caramel sauce

1 cup sugar

6 tbsp salted butter

1/2 cup cream

1 tsp salt

hirata steamed buns

hirata are traditional japanese steamed buns, often known as ‘bao’. these perfect pillows of soft dough are packed with fresh flavour

serves
2
prep time
10 mins
cook time
10 mins

how to make hirata steamed buns

ingredients

for the spicy beef bao

1 bao bun

1 beef steak

1 red onion

2 tbsp firecracker sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 tbsp spicy asian slaw

1 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise

1 tbsp sriracha

1 coriander sprig, leaves picked

for the mushroom + tofu bao (vg)

1 bao bun

30g mixed mushrooms

100g firm tofu

500ml vegetable oil for frying tofu

2 tbsp gyoza sauce

2 tbsp yakitori sauce

4 tbsp spicy asian slaw

1 tbsp sriracha

1 tbsp vegan mayonnaise

1 coriander sprig, leaves picked

for the spicy asian slaw

1 carrot

1 cucumber

1 red onion

150ml spicy vinegar

for the gyoza sauce

50ml (2fl oz) malt vinegar

1 tablespoon caster sugar

125ml (4fl oz) light soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

for the matcha bao-nut

1 bao bun

500 ml vegetable oil for frying

4 tbsp caster sugar

2 scoops matcha ice-cream

2 tbsp caramel sauce

sprig of mint

sesame seeds to garnish

for the caramel sauce

1 cup sugar

6 tbsp salted butter

1/2 cup cream

1 tsp salt

instructions

step one

make the buns

  1. steam the buns until they are soft + bouncey

  2. finely slice the slaw vegetables into long julienne strands, then mix + dress with the spicy vinegar for the savoury buns

step two

make the spicy beef bao

  1. thinly slice the beef into pieces 1cm wide + place into a oiled pan

  2. thinly slice the onion + add to the pan

  3. pour firecracker sauce in + sauté until the meat is cooked through + coated in the firecracker sauce

  4. take one bun, place slaw as the base layer, then top with saucy steak, add sriracha + mayo, then finally top with coriander

  5. close the bun + enjoy!

step three

make the mushroom + tofu bao (vg)

  1. place oil in pot + fry the cornflour coated tofu until lightly browned

  2. in a seperate pan, pan-fry the mixed mushrooms until brown + then add the gyoza sauce + reduce slow

  3. take one bun, place slaw as the base layer, then top with fried tofu, add yakitori sauce + top with mushrooms, sriracha, mayo + coriander

  4. close the bun + enjoy!

step four

make the matcha bao-nut

  1. take one bun at a time + gentle + safely shallow fry in a pot of oil. once golden, use chopsticks to extract the bun from the oil + then sprinkle icing sugar on bun immediately + set aside – be extremely careful not to touch the bun, as it is hot. set aside + leave to cool

  2. once the bun is cooled, take a generous scoop of matcha ice cream + fill the middle

  3. drizzle salted caramel sauce in top + garnish with a sprig of mint

  4. close + devour!