Butter Chicken Bao (Stuffed Bun)

Butter chicken bao (stuffed steamed bun) is an addictive snack or entree! No steamer needed, they are cooked in a skillet. Fluffy bao with a crispy bottom, stuffed with creamy, plant-based Indian butter sauce soycurl filling! Nutfree

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These are fusion steamed buns with a filling of soy curls in butter chicken sauce, and there is also some sauce on the side to dip.

The bao are a simple yeasted bread dough, and then instead of steaming them in a steamer, I cook them like dumplings. I got this technique from Woon Heng, where you crisp up the bottom of the bao a little bit, then add some water to the skillet and let them cook and steam until the water disappears.

This makes amazing bao! They get steamed and fluffy, and also get a crispy bottom. 

Why You’ll Love Butter Chicken Bao

• cloud-like dough stuffed with succulent, flavorful, vegan butter chicken
• special technique gives it a crispy bottom for even more incredible texture
• naturally nut-free
• soy-free and coconut-free options

More Vegan Buns

• Coconut Dinner Rolls With Indian mustard seed tempering
• Teriyaki Chickpeas Bao
• Sweet Potato Rolls – Soft Herb Dinner Rolls
• Vegan Pesto Pizza Rolls Recipe

Vegan Butter Chicken Bao

5 from 9 votes

By: Vegan Richa

Prep: 55 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Course: Appetizer, Main, Side, Snack

Cuisine: Indian Fusion

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Butter chicken bao (stuffed steamed bun) is an addictive snack or entree! No Steamer needed! Fluffy bao with a crispy bottom is stuffed with creamy, plant-based Indian butter sauce soycurl filling! Nutfree

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the bao:

• ▢ 3/4 cups warm non-dairy milk
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon active yeast
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons oil

For the butter chicken:

• ▢ 2 teaspoons oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup chopped onion
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, or 3 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 inch ginger minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves,, kasuri methi
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 15 ounce can full fat coconut milk
• ▢ 4 ounces dried soy curls, not soaked

To serve with the bao:

• ▢ green onion, cilantro, and pickled onion

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Instructions 

Make the bao.

• Heat the milk, if you haven’t already, until it’s warm and add to a bowl. Then, add the sugar and yeast and mix in. Let the yeast get frothy for 5 minutes.
• Mix the baking powder and salt into the flour, and add that to the yeast mixture. Mix really well to combine.
• Once the dough is starting to come together, add the oil and mix in. If the dough is feeling sticky, you can add in 1 to 2 tablespoons or more flour as needed. You want the dough to be soft and moist and not too dry, but also not really sticky.
• Once the dough is formed, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and keep it in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make the butter chicken.

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is translucent.
• Mix in all of the spices and ginger-garlic paste. Add in the tomato paste, coconut milk, and salt mixing really well, so the tomato paste dissolves into the coconut milk mixture. Bring it to a boil.
• Meanwhile, chop up the soy curls, if they're too large. I usually use the ends of the bag, because that usually has already small pieces of soy curls.
• Once the coconut milk mixture has come to a boil, remove 3 to 4 tablespoons of the sauce to serve on the side. Add in the soy curls, and 1/2 to 1 cup of water. Mix well, and cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the soy curls have absorbed all of the liquid and the mixture is thickening into a good filling kind of consistency. You can also break up any larger pieces of soy curls, if they're still intact . Stir once in between, just to make sure that they're not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Then set this mixture aside to cool.

Assemble and cook the bao.

• Take the dough from your warm place and move it to a working area. Add some flour and shape it into a ball, and then roll it out with a rolling pin into a large rectangle or square not more than 1/4″ thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into 3″ or larger squares.
• Add a good 3 tablespoons or more of the filling into each square.
• Brush some water onto all the sides of the square and then pinch the opposite sides, then pinch the other sides to make into a sealed bao. If you don't want to make them into stuffed bao you can just make them into rectangular envelopes like a hand pie, and then seal it with a fork. Repeat whichever sealing process you're using for all the dough and the filling.
• Heat a large, flat skillet over medium high heat. Add a teaspoon of oil, and have 1 cup of hot water ready (on the side) for steaming.
• Once the oil is hot, arrange the bao in the pan so that there is about half an inch of space between each one. Cook for 2 minutes to brown the bottoms. It doesn’t take too long to brown the bottoms. You can flip them and brown the other side as well. It’s your preference. Otherwise, pour the hot water into the pan carefully and close it with a well-fitting lid, which also has hole for the steam to escape.
• Reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 to 12 minutes or until the water is almost gone. Then, remove the lid, and transfer the bao to your serving plate. Serve with the reserved butter chicken sauce. I also like to serve with some pickled onion and cilantro.

Video

Notes

To make this soy free, use other chicken substitutes, like seitan or store-bought chicken substitute that are soy-free. A can of cooked chickpeas will also work in place of the soy curls to make this soy-free.

To m make this without soy curls, add tofu to the mixture instead. You can add crisped up tofu or just chopped up tofu.

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 337mg, Potassium: 167mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 149IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 126mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• warm non-dairy milk – This is most of the liquid for the bao buns. You want it warm, not hot, so the yeast will get frothy.
• sugar – This feeds the yeast. Do not omit!
• active yeast – Yeast is key to bao’s cloud-like texture. Make sure you’re using active yeast and not any other type of yeast.
• flour – Use all-purpose flour.
• baking powder and salt – These condition the dough to get the texture just right.
• oil – Adds a little bit of richness and more moisture to the dough. You also use oil to sauté the veggies for the vegan butter chicken filling.
• aromatics – Onions and ginger-garlic paste form the first layer of seasoning for your vegan butter chicken.
• dried spices – Coriander, garam masala, and fenugreek (kasuri methi) add a second layer of flavor to your butter chicken bao filling.
• tomato paste – Gives the sauce richness, flavor, and that amazing color!
• coconut milk – Makes the sauce creamy and adds more amazing flavor.
• soy curls – This is the vegan chicken. You can use other vegan chicken subs, like seitan or store-bought vegan chicken. You can also use canned, drained chickpeas or crispy or even uncooked tofu instead, if you prefer.
• garnishes – Green onion, cilantro, and pickled onion add zesty, fresh flavors to contrast the rich flavors and textures of this butter chicken bao.

Tips

• Make sure that the milk isn’t too hot! You don’t want to kill the yeast. If it doesn’t get frothy after about five minutes, you’ll want to start again using milk that’s a bit cooler.
• If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, a little bit at a time. Remember that it’s easier to add than to take away.
• After adding the tomato paste, make sure it’s completely dissolved in the coconut milk, so you don’t end up with clumps of tomato paste in your butter chicken sauce.
• The bottoms of the bao will brown very quickly, so don’t walk away during this step!

How to Make Butter Chicken Steamed Buns

First, make the dough, then you can make the butter chicken filling while the dough rises.

Heat the milk, if you haven’t already, until it’s warm and add to a bowl. Then, add the sugar and yeast and mix in. Let the yeast get frothy for five minutes. 

Mix the baking powder and salt into the flour, and add that to the yeast mixture. Mix really well to combine. 

Once the dough is starting to come together, add the oil and mix in. If the dough is feeling sticky, you can add in one to two tablespoons or more flour as needed. You want the dough to be soft and moist and not too dry, but also not really sticky. 

Once the dough is formed, shape it and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and keep it in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make the butter chicken.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is translucent. 

Mix in all of the spices and ginger-garlic paste. Add in the tomato paste, salt and coconut milk, mixing really well, so the tomato paste dissolves into the coconut milk mixture. Bring it to a boil.

Meanwhile, chop up the soy curls, if they’re too large large. I usually use the ends of the bag, because that usually has already small pieces of soy curls. 

Once the coconut milk mixture has come to a boil, remove three to four tablespoons of the sauce to serve on the side. Add in the soy curls, and a half cup to one cup of water.

Mix well, and cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the soy curls have absorbed all of the liquid and the mixture is thickening into a good filling kind of consistency. You can also break up any larger pieces of soy curls, if they’re still intact while they’re cooking.

Stir once in between, just to make sure that they’re not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Then set this mixture aside to cool. 

Then, you’re ready to assemble and cook the bao!

Take the dough from your warm place and move it to a working area. Add some flour and shape it into a ball, and then roll it out with a rolling pin into a large rectangle or square not more than a quarter-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into three-inch or larger squares.

Add a good three tablespoons or more of the filling into each square.

Brush some water onto all the sides of the square and then pinch the opposite sides, then pinch the other sides to make into a sealed bao. If you don’t want to make them into that kind of bao you can just fill them and make them into rectangular envelopes like a hand pie, and then seal it with a fork. Repeat whichever sealing process you’re using for all the dough and the filling.

Heat a large, flat skillet over medium high heat. Add a teaspoon of oil, and have a cup of hot water ready (on the side) for steaming. 

Once the oil is hot, arrange the bao in the pan so that there is about half an inch of space between each one. Cook for two minutes to brown the bottoms.

It doesn’t take too long to brown the bottoms. You can flip them and brown the other side as well. It’s your preference. Otherwise, pour the hot water into the pan carefully and close it with a well-fitting lid, which also has hole for the steam to escape. 

Reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 to 12 minutes or until the water is almost gone. Then, remove the lid, and transfer the bao to your serving plate.

Serve with the reserved butter chicken sauce and garnishes!

Frequently Asked Questions