Chicken Bao Buns

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Chicken bao buns are a popular Chinese street food consisting of fluffy steamed buns filled with tender and flavorful chicken filling. To make the bao buns, the dough is made with flour, yeast, sugar, and water and left to rise before being divided into small portions and rolled into rounds.

For the chicken filling, boneless chicken is marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic, then stir-fried with mushrooms, onions, and other vegetables until tender and fragrant.

Once the buns and filling are ready, the buns are steamed until puffy and soft, then filled with the chicken mixture and topped with sliced green onions and a drizzle of hoisin sauce. The result is a delicious and satisfying snack or meal with a perfect balance of savory and sweet flavors.

Ingredients

3 cups flour2 teaspoons yeast2 tablespoon sugar1 teaspoon salt2 tablespoon oil1 cup liquid warm water and milk to make dough2 tablespoons softened butter

Instructions

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the oil followed by the water gradually till you get get a shaggy dough. Transfer to a work surface and knead till the dough comes together in a ball.Flatten and Stretch the dough, add the butter and fold the sides of the dough and knead till you have a nice smooth and elastic dough.Cover and let it rest till double in size about 1 hour.To shape. Divide into equal portions and roll into small balls. Flatten each ball and roll it into an oval shape. Brush lightly with little oil and fold in half. Shape the remaining dough balls then place on a baking tray. Cover and let it proof for 15 minutes. Bake on 180C for 5 minutes then reduce temperature to 150 and bake for a further 8-10 minutes or till done. Make sure to keep the bao buns white. Don’t overbake it. Fill your favourite fillings and enjoy warm.Note: Originally bao buns are steamed I don’t have the patience to steam them in small batches, nor do I own a steamer so I prefer baking the full batch in one go. You can steam it if you wish.

Chicken Marinade

3 chicken breasts cut into strips1 cup buttermilk1 teaspoon ground garlic1⁄2 teaspoon white pepperSalt to taste11⁄2 teaspoon chicken spice

Chicken Coating

1 cup flour1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon paprikaSalt and pepper to taste1⁄2 teaspoon mixed herbs1⁄2 teaspoon chilli flakes1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon chicken spice

Method

Marinate the chicken with the buttermilk, ground garlic, salt, white pepper and chicken spice for 20-30 minutes.To fry: Combine the coating ingredients in one bowl and coat each marinated chicken strip well in the flour mixture pressing gently to get an even coating. Shallow fry.

Heat The Following And Toss The Chicken In It.

2 tablespoon butter1⁄3 cup peri peri sauce2 teaspoons soya sauce1 teaspoon honeyPinch of saltSplash of water about 1 tablespoonEnjoy.