bao buns

Vjerojatno sam već više puta spomenula koliko volim vijetnamsku kuhinju, možda sam i dosadna malo. Prije godinu dana sam napokon i posjetila Vijetnam i u mjesec dana stvarno probala čuda domaće kuhinje - tada me još više oduševila i još se dublje ukorijenila u moje kuhanje. Sviđa mi se ta lakoća i jednostavnost pripreme, kao i pažnja posvećena svakom pojedinom sastojku. To je nešto što meni nedostaje u balkanskoj kuhinji. Iako obožavam visoku kvalitetu hrane (namirnica) na "našim" prostorima, pripremom hrane i nisam baš oduševljena - većina jela mi je preteška, masna, puna tijesta i nikako ne mogu shvatiti ogromne količine svega koje se ovdje rade. Taj dio kulture hrane mi se puno više svidio u azijskoj kuhinji. Ipak, pored gomile divne hrane i neprekidnog oduševljenja, nekoliko vijetnamskih jela me nije posebno oduševilo čisto zbog vlastitih hranidbenih preferenci. Jedno od njih bilo je bánh mì - baguette pecivo punjeno raznim slanim sastojcima (obično su to meso, jaja i povrće, ali postoje i veganski, bánh mì chay, štandovi gdje postoje razne "mock meat" varijante). Iako je bánh mì vjerojatno među boljim sendvičima koje sam u životu probala, za mene je to još uvijek sendvič u bijelom kruhu i zbog toga mi nije naročito privlačan. Daj mi rađe sve one sluzave kuhane stvari i bit ću sretna... Drugo jelo koje mi nije posebno sjelo bio je bánh bao. Da, i mene je malo iznenadilo. Veselila sam se napokon probati "pravi" bao, ali oni koje sam probala bili su previše tijestasti i preslatki za moj ukus. To je samo stvar osobnog ukusa, jednostavno ne volim puno tijesta i puno slatkog, šta ćeš. Svejedno nisam htjela odustati od bao peciva jer mi se sviđa ideja bubica na pari, pa sam nastavila raditi bao peciva po svome - otvorenog tipa, s vrlo tankim tijestom koje je još uvijek sasvim mekano i prozračno, i puno punjenja. Vijetnam je i dalje u srcu, i definitivno vječna inspiracija... Ako vam se svidi ovaj recept ali ipak volite više tijesta, slobodno prilagodite količinu i napravite deblje bubice.

što/
(za 8 bubica)
1 šalica pirovog brašna T630
1/3 šalice tapioka škroba
1 žličica suhog pekarskog kvasca
1 prstohvat himalajske soli
2 čajne žličice šećera kokosovog cvijeta
1/2 šalice tople vode ili sojinog mlijeka
1 jušna žlica maslinovog ulja (opcija)
400 g bukovača
2 mlada luka
4 srednje do veće rotkvice
1/2 šalice domaćeg kimchija
1 velika šaka listova rukole
3 jušne žlice soja sosa

kako/
Stavite pirovo brašno, tapioku, kvasac, sol i kokosov šećer u zdjelu i promiješajte. Dodajte toplu vodu ili biljno mlijeko, promiješajte i zamijesite tijesto. Ako želite zaista glatko i meko tijesto, mijesite ga barem 10 minuta. Ostavite tijesto da se diže u zdjeli prekrivenoj krpom na toplom mjestu oko 2 sata, odnosno dok mu se volumen ne udvostruči. Zatim ga ponovno zamijesite i podijelite na osam dijelova. Razvaljajte svaki dio tijesta u ovalni oblik debljine oko 3 mm i ostavite da se diže oko 30 minuta, prekriveno krpom. Za to vrijeme možete pripremiti punjenje: narežite kimchi i svježe povrće na sitno; gljive narežite na tanke trake i prodinstajte nekoliko minuta na malo vode ili kokosovog ulja, uz dodatak soja sosa.
Pripremite sve za kuhanje na pari: stavite pamučnu gazu na podlogu, ulijte dovoljno vode ispod, poklopite i stavite na vatru da zavrije. Preklopite prethodno pripremljene bubice na pola, a svaku od dvije strane koje se dodiruju premažite uljem ili stavite papir za pečenje u sredinu kako se ne bi zalijepile. Stavite bubice na paru i kuhajte oko 10 minuta. Gotova peciva napunite povrćem i gljivama, te po želji začinite sezamom ili gomashiom.
Dobar tek!

[ENGLISH]

Last year I spent one month travelling around Vietnam from north to south and tried so many interesting dishes along the way. I loved almost all of them (if you put aside the little fact that I can't really stand too much MSG in my food... But ok, survived it!) and there are only two things that I remember not really being too keen on. The first one was bánh mì - a baguette filled with many savoury ingerdients; usually meat, eggs and vegetables, but there are also vegan bánh mì stands where you can choose from a few mock meat options. Although far better than any sandwich that I ate in Europe, it was still a wheat bread sandwich and I guess I'll just never be a sandwich person. Give me all those slimy, gooey cooked things and I'll be happy. The other one was, surprisingly, bánh bao. I was really looking forward to trying the "real" steamed buns for the first time and ended up slightly disappointed to find out it was too doughy and too sweet for my taste. Please don't judge, I just can't eat too much dough (and too much sweet)! Still, I'm sure that there is someone somewhere just like me, who likes their steamed buns as thin as possible, yet fluffy and tender, a bit less sweet and with as much filling as you can fit inside. That is why I like to make these open type of buns that you can fill after steaming. They are still as soft and fluffy as the "real thing", just thinner. Of course, you can use this recipe to make thicker buns as well, you will just need to adjust the amount of dough.

what/
(for 8 buns)
1 cup white spelt flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp dried live yeast
1 pinch himalayan salt
2 tsp coconut blossom sugar
1/2 cup warm water or soy milk
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
400 g oyster mushrooms
2 spring onions
4 medium red radishes
1/2 cup naturally fermented kimchi
1 big handful arugula leaves
3 tbsp soy sauce

how/
Put the spelt flour, tapioca starch, yeast, salt and coconut blossom sugar in a bowl and stir. Add the water or plant milk, mix and knead the dough. If you want it to be really nice and soft, knead it for at least 10 minutes. Let it rise in the bowl covered with kitchen cloth on a warm place for around 2 hours, or until it doubles in size. Knead it again and divide into eight balls. Roll out each ball into an approximately three millimetres thick oval shape and let it rise for at least 30 minutes, covered with a cloth. During that time, you can prepare the filling. Chop the kimchi and cut all the fresh vegetables into very thin slices. Slice the mushrooms and put them in a pan with just a little bit of water or coconut oil. Add the soy sauce, stir for a minute or two and remove from the heat.
Prepare the steaming dish by putting a muslin cloth inside, pour the water and bring it to a boil. Fold each part of the previously prepared dough in half, separating two surfaces with a baking paper or simply some oil to keep them from sticking. Put the folded dough shapes into the steamer and steam for around 10 minutes, or until fully cooked. Fill the steamed buns with the fillings that you had prepared. Sprinkle with some gomashio or roasted sesame seeds. Bon appétit!