Chinese Steamed Breakfast Buns with Vegetables and Tofu Recipe
Fluffy steamed buns filled with vegetables and tofu are a plant-based version of popular Chinese breakfasts. In China, these buns are often bought from small stalls on the way to work – at your place they can end up in a lunchbox or as a lazy weekend breakfast. They’re soft as a pillow and as filling as a hearty sandwich.
These buns bring the atmosphere of a Chinese breakfast stall into your kitchen, but in a plant-based version that’s easy to pack for work or a trip. The dough is incredibly soft, and the vegetable-tofu filling is light yet satisfying.
Chef's tips
Make sure the water is only warm, not hot, so the yeast activates properly. Don’t rush the rising time – well-risen dough gives the buns their fluffy, airy texture. When sealing the buns, pinch the seams firmly so the filling doesn’t leak out while steaming.
How to serve
Serve the buns warm straight from the steamer with a simple soy sauce and rice vinegar dip, or add a little chili oil for heat. They’re great for breakfast, brunch, or as a snack in a lunchbox.
Ingredients
- flour type 450–550 - 400 g
- instant dry yeast 1 standard sachet - 7 g
- sugar 1 for the dough, 1 for the filling - 2 tablespoons
- warm water not hot, so as not to kill the yeast - 220 ml
- oil 2 for the dough, 1 for the filling - 3 tablespoons
- salt 0.5 for the dough, 0.25 for the filling - 0.75 teaspoons
- plain tofu firm - 200 g
- carrot medium, coarsely grated - 1 piece
- cabbage finely chopped - 150 g
- chives chopped - 15 g
- soy sauce - 2 tablespoons
- fresh ginger about 1 teaspoon finely grated - 5 g
- garlic finely chopped - 1 clove
Preparation
- Put the flour, yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 0.5 teaspoon of salt into a large bowl. Mix.
- Add the warm water and 2 tablespoons of oil. Knead the dough by hand or with a dough hook for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic, slightly soft but not very sticky.
- Shape into a ball, cover the bowl with a cloth and leave in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until the dough doubles in size.
- In the meantime, prepare the filling: press excess water out of the tofu with a paper towel and crumble it into small pieces with your hands.
- Peel the carrot and grate it on a coarse grater. Finely chop the Chinese cabbage, slice the chives.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the crumbled tofu, carrot and cabbage. Fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables soften slightly but are still springy.
- Add the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 0.25 teaspoon of salt and the chives. Mix and fry for 1 more minute. Set the filling aside to cool.
- Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead briefly and divide into 12 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a ball, then roll it out into a round disc about 10 cm in diameter, leaving the center slightly thicker than the edges.
- Place 1–1.5 tablespoons of filling in the center of each disc. Gather the edges of the dough up, pleating them like a little pouch, and seal well.
- Place the buns seam side down on pieces of baking paper or cabbage leaves so they don’t stick to the steamer.
- Cover the buns with a cloth and leave for 15 minutes to rise again.
- Bring water to a boil in a pot and place a steamer (bamboo or metal) on top. Arrange the buns in the steamer, leaving space between them as they will expand.
- Steam over medium heat for 12–15 minutes without lifting the lid.
- After cooking, turn off the heat and wait 2 minutes before opening the steamer so the buns don’t collapse. Serve warm.
Storage
Bułeczki przechowuj w lodówce do 3 dni, najlepiej w zamkniętym pojemniku. Podgrzewaj na parze 5–7 minut lub w mikrofalówce pod przykryciem z odrobiną wody na talerzu. Możesz je też zamrozić do 2 miesięcy i podgrzewać na parze bez rozmrażania, wydłużając czas o kilka minut.
