Mark Aisthorpe's vegan bao buns with BBQ oyster mushrooms and apple slaw
Fluffy, tender bao buns are surprisingly versatile. In fact, there's not much you can't fill them with, as this vegan recipe – stuffing them with meaty mushrooms and packed with smoky barbecue flavours – deliciously demonstrates.
It's the creation of chef Mark Aisthorpe, who competed on Great British Menu in 2022. Mark, owner and head chef at two AA rosette restaurant, The Bulls Head, near the Peak District, pairs the buns with a creamy, tangy apple slaw, cutting through the richness and perfectly balancing the dish.
Mark has partnered with JAZZ apples to highlight the versatilty of apples, one of our most wasted foods with around 800,000 thrown away every day in the UK. "Hopefully these affordable recipes can inspire people to make the most of their apples and ensure they don’t get left to rot in the fruit bowl,” says Mark.
Note: The preparation time does not include the proofing time needed for the bao buns.
Ingredients
For the bao buns- 475 g strong bread flour, plus extra for rolling
- 25 g caster sugar
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 7 g instant yeast
- 125 g lukewarm water
- 170 g lukewarm oat milk
- 20 ml sesame oil
- 2 apples, cored and thinly sliced (We like JAZZ apples for this recipe)
- 0.2 lemon, juiced
- 0.5 tsp Dijon mustard
- 100 g white cabbage, shredded
- 80 g carrots, peeled and grated
- 0.2 stick of celery, thinly sliced
- 0.5 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- 300 g oyster mushrooms, roughly sliced
- 50 g peanuts
- 5 g fennel seeds
- 0.5 chilli (optional)
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 tbsp barbecue sauce
- 1 splash of olive oil
Details
- Cuisine: Chinese-inspired
- Recipe Type: Vegan
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 40 mins
- Cooking Time: 15 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
For the bao buns:
- Mix the yeast with the water and allow to dissolve.
- In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients, add the water and yeast mix and 3/4 of the oat milk. Knead together and, if the mix is too dry, add the remaining oat milk as needed.
- Knead for 15 minutes, place a towel over the bowl and allow to prove until it has doubled in size.
- Knock the air out of the dough, then cut into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll into oval shapes, brush with sesame oil and fold over, cover with a towel and allow to proof again until doubled in size.
- Place in steamer for 10 minutes.
For the apple slaw:
- In a bowl, mix all the prepped ingredients together and season to taste.
For the filling:
- Add a little oil to a pan, toast the fennel seeds, add the red onions and cook for a few minutes.
- Next add the oyster mushrooms and chilli and cook until soft, for approximately 5 minutes.
- Add peanuts and a good squirt of BBQ sauce, and mix well.
To serve:
- Slice open the steamed bao buns and divide the filling between them, finishing with good spoon of the apple slaw.
Recipe courtesy of JAZZ Apples, in collaboration with Mark Aisthorpe.
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