A vegan version of Taiwanese-style Gua Bao (割包), with flavors just as you would find on the bustling streets of Taipei. Pulled Jackfruit “Pork,” Fried Mustard Greens, and Peanut Sugar all in the warm embrace of an ultra-fluffy homemade Gua Bao.

Making Gua bao from scratch — Step #1: Make the Dough. In a large bowl, combine all dough ingredients and mix together until a shaggy dough forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth. Since the dough has high hydration, it may be a bit sticky. But as you knead it, all the flour & clumps will slowly unstick from your hands. This should take around 7 minutes. Once smooth, place the dough into a clean, lightly oiled bowl and let it proof covered for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Step #2: Form the Gua Baos. After proofing, deflate the dough turn it onto a clean surface. You can very lightly oil the surface if you find that it’s sticking. Roll the dough out to a large circle of around 1 cm (0.4 inch) thickness. Use a 10 cm (4 inch) round cutter (or bowl) to cut circles. For each circular dough, brush on a little bit of vegetable oil (prevents sticking), stretch slightly, and fold over to form the Gua Bao shape.

Step #3: Quickly place the folded Gua Bao onto a piece of parchment paper that’s been cut out to a rectangle (around double the size of each bao). Repeat this for the rest of the dough. Reform the remainders into a ball, roll it back out, and repeat the whole process until little to no dough remains.

Vegan Taiwanese Gua Bao

4 from 12 votes

Recipe by George L. Course: SnackCuisine: TaiwaneseDifficulty: Medium

Servings

baos

Prep time

hour

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

Gua Bao
220 grams all-purpose flour
4 grams baking powder
3 grams instant yeast
15 grams sugar
14 grams (1 tablespoon) vegetable oil
120 grams room temperature water
Jackfruit “Pork”
250 grams jackfruit (canned), deseeded
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoon ginger, finely minced
1.5 teaspoon ground five spice
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or mirin)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
Fried Mustard Greens
50 grams pickled mustard greens, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 dried chili peppers, deseeded & thinly sliced
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Peanut Topping
1/4 cup peanuts, crushed
1 tablespoon sugar (or more if desired)

Directions

Prepare the Gua Bao. In a large bowl, combine all dough ingredients and mix together until a shaggy dough forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 7 minutes. Once smooth, place the dough into a clean, lightly oiled bowl and let it proof covered for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size. After proofing, deflate the dough and roll it out to around 1 cm (0.4 inch) thickness. Use a 10 cm (4 inch) round cutter (or bowl) to cut circles. For each circular dough, brush on a little bit of vegetable oil (prevents sticking), stretch slightly, and fold over to form the Gua Bao shape. Quickly place the folded Gua Bao onto a piece of parchment paper that’s been cut out to a rectangle (around double the size of each bao). Repeat this for the rest of the dough. Reform the remainders into a ball, roll it back out, and repeat the whole process until little to no dough remains.
Steam the Gua Bao. Place the Gua Baos (along with parchment paper) into a steamer basket (3-4 per layer), and cover & let proof for 30 more minutes. Steam them for 12 minutes.
Prepare the Fried Mustard Greens. Heat up a little oil in a non-stick pan or wok on medium heat and fry together minced garlic & dried chili peppers. Once aromatic, add chopped mustard greens, sesame seeds, sugar, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
Prepare Jackfruit “Pork.” Cut jackfruit chunks into thin slices & wring them dry with a kitchen towel. Heat up a little oil in a non-stick pan or wok on medium-high heat and fry garlic & ginger together until aromatic. Add jackfruit, and continue to fry until dried and lightly caramelized, around 5 minutes (don’t stir it around too much). Break jackfruit into even smaller pieces/strands if necessary — it should resemble pulled pork. Deglaze with Shaoxing wine & soy sauces, followed by five spice & brown sugar. Taste & adjust seasoning to finish.
Assemble the Gua Bao. To prepare the Peanut Topping, Simply crush together peanuts with sugar. Gently open each Gua Bao and fill generously with jackfruit “pork” and mustard greens. Top with the peanut topping, along with scallions and/or cilantro.