30gDried Shiitake Mushroomssoak in hot water for 30 minutes to rehydrate, finely diced
1½ tspGarlic Paste
1½ tspGinger Paste
1tspCumin Powder
1tspSalt
1tspBlack Pepper
1tspRed Chilli Flakes
120gChinese chiveschopped
120gLeekschopped
2tspHoisin Sauce
2tspLight Soy Sauce
1tspSesame Oilplus more for brushing
Garnish & serving (optional)
Spring Onionschopped
Chilli Oilfor serving
Chinese Black Vinegarfor serving
Instructions
Making the dough
Mix together all the dough ingredients and knead into a smooth dough. Add more flour accordingly if too sticky or add more water if too dry.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise at a warm place for about an hour until doubled in size.
Making the filling
Mix together all the filling ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Assembling the buns
On a floured surface, knead the risen dough a couple more times and form into a large ball.
Divide the dough evenly into 16 portions. Each portion weighs around 20-25g. Roll them into a shape of a ball and then flatten them out with a rolling pin into a circle wrapper.
Place roughly 1½ teaspoon of filling at the centre of the wrapper. Lift one side up towards the centre and plucker into pleats, all the while rotating the wrapper until you reach the end.
Give the pleated ends a little pinch to secure the top. It's optional whether you want to fully seal the top or not.
Cooking the buns in an air fryer
Preheat air fryer to 180°C.
Brush the bottom of the air fryer basket with sesame oil. Place the vegetable buns into the basket and brush each of them with sesame oil. Cook for 5 minutes.
Apply another layer of sesame oil over the buns and cook for another 5 minutes until golden and crispy. Serve immediately with Chinese black vinegar and/or chilli oil.
Notes
The recipe yields 16 buns.
The vegetable filling can be swapped with any vegetables you prefer.