Bao – Bridges for Students

My recipe, bao, connects to the letter G, which stands for growth. I love to cook and try new foods so I thought that testing how much I have learned and grew within my cooking skills by making bao would be a great challenge. From making bao, I learned how to use new cooking equipment such as a three tiered bamboo steamer. I also learned a new technique for rolling dough into a long rope. The technique is called the ‘windmill technique’ which is way of stretching and pulling dough into a long rope using your hands. Overall, making bao was a great experience for myself to learn and grow how to make new foods.
Submitted By Taylor Quickstrom

Ingredients

4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1 cup water
1 lb ground pork
1 lb shredded cabbage
1 minced carrot
3 chopped green onion stalks
1 egg
1.5 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
3 tsp cooking wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Soy Sauce for dipping

Instructions

Mix flour and yeast in a mixing bowl
Add water and kneed until a solid ball of dough forms (note: if it is too sticky add more flour, if it is too dry add more water)
Cover and let the dough rise for 2 hours
Cook the ground pork in a pan
Mix the pork, shredded cabbage, minced carrot, green onions, beaten egg, ground ginger, olive oil, chicken bouillon powder, cooking wine, & salt and pepper in a bowl
After the two hours, once the dough has risen, dust your countertop with flour and roll you dough into a long rope shape
Cut the dough rope into 1/2 inch pieces
Roll each piece into a wrapper
Spoon 1/2 a tablespoon of filling into the center of the wrapper
Pinch and fold the wrapper closed, twist the top to finish (make sure to press the dough tight to seal the top)
Bring a pot of water to a boil
Place the baos in a steaming basket then put the basket on top of the pot of boiling water (note: line the steaming basket with cabbage leaves to prevent sticking)
Steam for 15 minutes
Turn off the heat and let the baos rest for an additional 5 minutes
Enjoy!