Even before I became a vegetarian- my severe shellfish allergy limited the Asian food I could eat which was depressing because it is my absolute favorite cuisine. A few years ago, I was in Hong Kong for the world glaucoma congress and had vegetarian steamed buns at a Buddhist monastery and they were a revelation. They are surprisingly easy to make – here is my own recipe which took me a while to develop.

Dough buns :

Dough ingredients :2 cups all-purpose flour,1 teaspoon instant yeast, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 4 tablespoons sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, ½ to ¾ cup lukewarm water

I use my kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook to get this dough together. After it comes together- knead on high for 5 more minutes. It’s a soft elastic dough

Rest in a warm place for 2-4 hours till doubled or more in volume

Bao filling:

1 small cabbage shredded and steamed for 5 minutes. Drain the cabbage to remove all the water.

Additions: corn, tofu, cooked mushrooms, anything really. I used corn today – they are in season and I steamed the cob and removed the kernels

2 tbsp oil (sesame or olive or a mix)- add 1 tbsp ginger and 1 tbsp garlic. Cook for a few minutes.

Add to the cabbage corn mixture with 1 tbsp of soy sauce

Divide raised dough into 16 equal parts. Treat the dough gently – like you would pizza dough – don’t beat the air out of it

Make the baos- be generous with the stuffing. The dough is easy to work with- the yeast and the kneading makes it very elastic.

Rest for 10 min- steam on parchment for 15. They really puff up- don’t crowd them.

Serve with your favorite sauce. Today I made a gochuang, soy and vinegar sauce and a hoisin and vinegar sauce.