A couple of months ago I was sent the new Bao Bun kits from School of Wok. They’re the first Bao Bun kits to be launched here in the UK and I was super excited to give them a try.
School of Wok was founded by TV Chef, Jeremy Pang. His love of food comes from his father, who was keen for him to experience exciting flavours and exotic foods whilst he was a young boy.
Jeremy is the author of 2 best-selling cookbooks, Chinese Unchopped and Hong Kong Diner – I really need to check these out. But first, it’s all about the bao buns.
Phil and I often head out in search of fluffy bao buns at the weekend. They’re something we find ourselves craving quite regularly. So, to have the chance to make them at home sounded like an excellent idea.
They’re stocked in Tesco and Waitrose and there are 2 kits available; Barbecue and Black Pepper. Last night we decided to give the Barbecue kit a try and I already can’t wait to try the other flavour next week.
Before you open up the box you could easily be fooled into thinking that making bao buns would be a timely and complicated process. Luckily, the inside lid of the box has all the simple instructions to get you started.
Trust me, there’s nothing to worry about.
The kit guides you through 9 simple steps to make authentic Bao Buns in 30 minutes at home. Not bad, right?
What I like about these kits is that you can really adapt them to your tastes. For example, with the barbecue kit they suggest adding pork loin, beef steak, chicken breast or firm tofu. You can then opt for a carrot or cucumber for pickling and finish with your favourite salad leaves.That’s all you need to add, the kit contains everything else you need in handy measured out packets.
That’s all you need to add, the kit contains everything else you need in handy measured out packets.
If like us you don’t have a steam basket there’s a useful little tip on how to fashion your own. Simply place a heat resistant bowl into a pan or wok. Then fill the pan with water ’til it’s 3/4 of the way full.
Place a plate on top and cover it with greaseproof paper. Finally you’ll want to add your lid on top. Your bao buns will go between the plate and the lid where they’ll steam and rise.
I was surprised to see that the buns only needed steaming for 8 minutes, delightfully quick.
While the buns are steaming you fry up your filling so it’s ready to go when the buns are done. Then you serve up!
These buns were delicious. I’m a huge fan of barbecue, that sweet yet savoury flavour is always a winner in my eyes. We had 3 buns each along with a side salad for dinner and it was the best.
The pickled carrots weren’t quite pickled enough for me, but for a quick hack they did the job and were tasty. You simply slice the carrots super thin, I made mine too chunky (possibly where I went wrong) and then cover them in the pickling salt and water.
Will we be buying another Bao Bun Kit?
Yes, of course.
I loved having all the ingredients ready to go and they turned out really well. I also liked how quick and straightforward the process was.
You can find the kits in Tesco and Waitrose. I think they’re a fun way to try making something new at home.