Mushroom Bao

Ingredients 

• 3 medium button mushrooms 
• 4 medium Portabello mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
• 4-5 spring onion bulbs, finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon red chilli sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• Crushed black peppercorns to taste
• 3 tablespoons spring onion greens, finely chopped
• Ready-made bao dough
• Brown savoury biscuit crumbs as required
• 1½ tablespoons cornflour
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon oyster sauce

Method

1. Thinly slice button and portabello mushrooms and then roughly chop them.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add garlic, ginger and spring onion bulbs, mix and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, mix and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add salt and mix well and cook till the mushrooms are cooked completely and the moisture evaporated.
4. Add soy sauce, red chilli sauce, oyster sauce and crushed black peppercorns and mix well.
5. Add spring onion greens, mix and take the pan off the heat. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and let it cool down to room temperature.
6. Divide the dough into a few portions of 20 grams each and the same number of portions of 4 grams each.
7. Shape the 20-gram portions into balls and roll them into small discs. Stuff each with a portion of the mushroom mixture and apply a little water on the edges, bring the edges to the centre and pinch to seal. Further, shape them like mushroom heads. Shape the smaller portion of the dough into mushroom stems.
8. Line a bamboo steamer with a few pieces of parchment paper and grease them with oil. Place the prepared all the pieces on each. Cover and set aside to prove.
9. Meanwhile, take cornflour in a bowl, add cocoa powder, soy sauce and oyster sauce and mix well. Add 1 tbsp water and mix well.
10. Apply this paste to the stuffed bao heads. Cover the steamer.
11. Heat sufficient water in a deep pan, place the steamer over it and steam the bao for 8-10 minutes. Take it off the heat.
12. For assembly, make a cross incision on the bottom of the mushroom head bao and insert the mushroom stem bao into it.
13. Add a little savoury biscuit crumbs on the serving plate, place the mushroom bao on it, garnish with micro green and serve warm.