Bao Buns with Spicy Cauliflower

I found these vegan bao buns from BBC Food to work pretty well – I’ve made the dough a little wetter as it was a bit too firm to work with easily. You can also buy them ready made for reheating from M&S and Ocado.

To make 8-10 

475g strong white flour

1 sachet (7g) quick action yeast

20g sugar

10g salt

100ml milk of your choice

175ml water, lukewarm

A little sesame oil

For the Filling:

1  cauliflower, broken into florets

2.5cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped (or 1 tbs hot chilli sauce)

3 tbsp tamari or dark soy sauce

1 tsp brown sugar

½ tsp salt

To serve:

8 tsp sri racha or hot sauce

8 tsp mayonnaise

1 carrot in matchsticks

1/4 cucumber in matchsticks or ribbons

small bunch spring onions, trimmed and cut lengthways

Toasted sesame seeds

Coriander leaves

To make the buns, put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the milk and water. Mix with your hands and bring together to form a dough, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and springy. Clean and lightly oil the bowl. Pop the dough back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size (if it's cold this may take up to 2 hours.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly to knock it back. Roll the dough into a fat sausage shape (approx. 30cm/12in long). Slice the roll into eight to ten equal portions and shape each piece into a rough ball. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll each ball into an oval shape. Lightly rub a tiny drop of sesame oil over the surface (to prevent the dough from sticking together) and fold in half. Repeat until all the balls are folded, then place them on a flat surface, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C. To make the cauliflower, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, adding 1 tablespoon of water to loosen the mixture, and marinate for 10 minutes. Tip onto a baking tray and bake for 35–40 minutes, or until crispy.

Meanwhile, line a bamboo steamer with baking paper, then place three or four buns inside each steam basket. Steam for 6–7 minutes, until fluffy but firm and dry to the touch. Repeat until all the buns are steamed.

Beat together the sri racha and mayonnaise. Fill each bun with a heaped teaspoon of sriracha mayonnaise and crispy cauliflower topped with shredded or pickled carrot, spring onion and ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds. Scatter with coriander, if using.