Hoisin Tofu Bao Buns (Vegan)

Hoisin tofu bao buns - soft, fluffy bao filled with sticky glazed hoisin tofu, crisp vegetables, sriracha mayo and crispy fried onions - heaven!

I recently posted a recipe to make your own steamed bao buns so obviously I needed to do a recipe for something to fill them with!

These hoisin tofu bao are incredibly moreish and satisfying, and pretty simple to make too! You can use shop bought bao instead of homemade if you want to make them even easier as well.

The combination of soft, fluffy steamed buns, sticky, fragrant fried tofu, crisp veggies, spicy sriracha mayo and crispy fried onions is absolutely heavenly and bound to be a real crowd-pleaser.

Ingredient Details:

Bao buns: You can either use shop bought ones or make your own using my recipe for vegan bao buns.

Tofu: You want to use an extra firm tofu such as Tofoo brand so that you do not need to press it.

Hoisin sauce: I just use a shop bought one, most are vegan friendly but do check just in case. You can also make your own.

Seasonings: As well as the hoisin sauce you will also need soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, Chinese five spice, spring onions (scallions), ginger and garlic. For the ginger and garlic you can use fresh, frozen or from a jar.

Vegetables: I use finely shredded carrot and cucumber but cabbage would also work well. Pickled vegetables would also be delicious instead.

Crispy fried onions: These are amazing for sprinkling on top of pretty much any meal for extra flavour and texture. You can buy them from most supermarkets or online. A great alternative would be chopped roasted peanuts.

Sriracha mayo: This is optional but recommended! You can either buy it or make your own simply by mixing sriracha into the mayonnaise of your choice to taste.

How To Make Hoisin Tofu Bao Buns:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: Mix together the spring onions, garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, Chinese 5 spice, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil in a large bowl.

Step 2: Slice the tofu, add it to the bowl of sauce and toss to coat.

Step 3: Heat a little oil in a frying pan, lay the slices of tofu in the pan, reserving the marinade. Fry for about 5 minutes until browned then carefully flip the tofu over and fry for a couple more minutes.

Step 4: Add the reserved marinade to the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes until it has reduced to a sticky sauce.

Step 5: To assemble the buns, add a couple of slices of tofu to each bun and top with shredded vegetables, a drizzle of sriracha mayo and a sprinkle of crispy fried onions.

Top Tips:

The tofu can be cooked right away but it is better if you let it marinade in the fridge for a while first. It can even be prepared the day before you want to cook it.

Instead of tofu you could use tempeh or king oyster mushrooms.

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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