Looking for a healthy delicious snack the whole family will love? These Steamed Crispy-Bottom Veggie Buns are soft & chewy with a crispy bottom layer. The perfect savory hand-held treat.
Don’t let the homemade dough scare you off. It couldn’t be easier. Really.
It’s made with just three ingredients. And yeast is not one of them. Mixed by hand using very hot water which makes the dough soft and pliable.
Let’s get started…
- Unbleached all-purpose flour
- Hot boiling water
- Salt
- Place the flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Mix until well combined.
- Make a well in the center and pour in the hot water.
- Using a spatula, fold in all the flour until a shaggy dough forms with no apparent dry spots of flour.
- If there is, add cold water, one tablespoon at a time.
- Transfer the dough onto a clean surface.
- Knead into a dough for about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Let’s talk about the filling in your Steamed Crispy-Bottom Veggie Buns…
The foundation of this filling is mashed potatoes. They work well as a binder to hold the contents together as you shape the filling into a patty.
But you can easily customize by instead using mashed chickpeas or firm tofu that’s been pressed and mashed. The creator of this awesome recipe, WoonHeng, uses tofu as the base of her filling. The choice is yours.
- Neutral oil – for cooking
- Fresh green beans – trimmed & chopped
- Mashed potatoes
- Shredded carrot
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Toasted sesame oil
- Salt & white pepper
- Sesame seeds – for coating bun bottoms
- Chopped green onions – for serving
While the dough is resting, prepare the filling for your Steamed Crispy-Bottom Veggie Buns…
- Heat 2 teaspoons neutral oil in a non-stick skillet.
- Add the chopped green beans.
- Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the beans turn to a darker green.
- Place the cooked green beans into a bowl along with the mashed potatoes, carrot, cilantro, sesame oil, salt and pepper.
- Mix until well combined.
- Divide the mixture into 10 portions – use a digital scale to keep things uniform.
- Form each portion into a patty-like shape.
- The dough should now be ready.
- Dust your work surface with flour.
- Roll the dough out into a log.
- Divide into 10 equal portions – a digital scale can be helpful to keep the portions uniform.
- Set them aside.
- To form a wrapper, take one portion of dough and flatten it with the palm of your hand.
- Hold the wrapper with your non-dominant hand and a roller with your dominant hand.
- Roll the dough by pushing from the outside towards the middle of the wrapper.
- Twist and turn your wrapper while doing this (with your non-dominant hand).
- Roll it into a 4.5 inches diameter disc.
- With this rolling method, the middle of the wrapper is thicker which creates a good safety net for the filling.
- Place one filling patty in the middle and pleat to seal.
- Continue to form the remaining buns with the rest of the ingredients.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m always happy to have some visual guidance when using an unfamiliar technique.
Check out WoonHeng’s helpful video tutorial. She makes it look easier than it may be …but with a bit of practice, we all can do it.
- Dab the smooth side of each bun with water and gently press on some sesame seeds.
- Heat a large non-stick pan with a tablespoon of neutral oil.
- Gently flatten each bun with the palm of your hand.
- Place them in the pan, sesame side down, slightly apart.
- Fit as many as you can in one layer.
- Cook until the bottom turns golden brown.
- Then flip the buns.
- Add about a cup of water so that it covers not quite half the height of the buns.
- Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, preferably glass, and turn heat to low-medium.
- Cook until all water has completely evaporated, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Garnish with a handful of chopped green onions.
- Best when served immediately, while still warm with some soy sauce on the side.
For a super delicious (a bit spicy) dipping sauce, combine…
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon gochujang (Korean chili sauce)
steamed crispy-bottom veggie buns
Adapted from WoonHeng
Soft & chewy with a crispy bottom layer. The perfect savory hand-held treat.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (300 grams)
- 3/4 cup boiling water (175 ml)
- pinch of salt
For the Filling and Finishing
- 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon neutral oil, divided
- 8 ounces green beans, trimmed & chopped
- 1 1/4 cups mashed potatoes (10 ounces)
- 1 small carrot, shredded
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- sesame seeds, for coating bun bottoms
- chopped green onions, for serving
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
-
Place the flour and salt in a large bowl; mix until well combined. Make a well in the center and pour in the hot water. Using a spatula, fold in all the flour until a shaggy dough forms with no apparent dry spots of flour. If there is, add cold water, one tablespoon at a time.
-
Transfer the dough onto a clean surface. Knead into a dough for about 10 to 12 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Prepare the Filling
-
Heat 2 teaspoons neutral oil in a non-stick skillet.Add the chopped green beans and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the beans turn to a darker green. Place the cooked green beans into a bowl along with the mashed potatoes, carrot, cilantro, sesame oil, salt and pepper.
-
Mix until well combined. Divide the mixture into 10 portions. Form each portion into a patty-like shape.
Assemble the Buns
-
When the dough is ready, dust your work surface with flour and roll the dough out into a log. Divide into 10 equal portions. Set aside.
-
To form a wrapper, take one portion of dough and flatten it with the palm of your hand. Hold the wrapper with your non-dominant hand and a roller with your dominant hand. Roll the dough by pushing from the outside towards the middle of the wrapper. Twist and turn your wrapper while doing this (with your non-dominant hand). Roll it into a 4.5 inches diameter disc.
With this rolling method, the middle of the wrapper is thicker which creates a good safety net for the filling. Place one filling patty in the middle and pleat to seal. Continue to form the remaining buns with the rest of the ingredients.
-
Dab the smooth side of each bun with water and gently press on some sesame seeds.
Cook the Buns
-
To cook the buns potsticker-style, heat a large non-stick pan with a tablespoon of neutral oil. Gently flatten each bun with the palm of your hand and place them in the pan, sesame side down, slightly apart. Fit as many as you can in one layer.
Cook until the bottom turns golden brown, then flip the buns and add about a cup of water so that it covers not quite half the height of the buns. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, preferably glass, and turn heat to low-medium. Cook until all water has completely evaporated, about 5 to 10 minutes.
-
If you prefer to cook the buns in the oven, preheat oven to 375°F (195°C) and brush the buns with oil. Bake the buns for about 20 to 25 mins or until golden brown, flipping halfway through.
Serving the Buns
-
Garnish with a handful of chopped green onions. Best when served immediately, while still warm with some soy sauce on the side.
For a super delicious (a bit spicy) dipping sauce, combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon gochujang (Korean chili sauce)
Recipe Notes
Don't have leftover mashed potatoes?
Peel and cut about a pound of russet or Yukon gold potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place them in a medium pot and cover with water. Add 1/2 tablespoon of salt. Cook until easily pierced with a fork. Drain well and mash in 2 tablespoons of butter. Let the mashed potatoes cool to room temperature before proceeding. You won't use it all for a single batch of veggie buns, adjust accordingly.
The mashed potatoes are used as a binder to aid in forming the patty fillers. Alternatively, you can substitute with mashed up chickpeas or firm tofu that's been pressed and mashed.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. I have personally experienced all of these products, and I recommend them because I have found them to be of superior quality. We appreciate your support.
Looking for more savory snacks?
