Cooking the buns. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Place the buns in the pan with the pinched-side up (make sure to not overcrowd the pan!), and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Once the bottoms are golden-brown and crispy, flip them over and carefully, pour in ¼ cup of water to create steam.
Warm the oil in a large frying pan and fry the zucchini, eggplant, and bell pepper until slightly browned. Mix the rice vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce in a medium-sized bowl. Add to the frying pan and simmer for two to three minutes until the sauce gets thicker. Remove from the heat. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Create a well in the center and add in the warm milk/water mixture and the vegetable oil. Stir together until it forms a shaggy dough. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Assemble. Set a steamer on the heat. Steam the buns (in batches), spaced 3cm (1 1/2in) apart, for 8-10 minutes until puffed and cooked all the way through. To serve, remove the paper and stuff with the shredded pork, 3 finly shredded spring onions, 1/4 halved and finely sliced cucumber, a handful of coriander leaves and 100g salted crushed peanuts.
Use a whisk to stir to combine until you don’t see any more lumps. If you are preparing whole wheat tangzhong for 100% whole wheat bao, let the whole wheat flour soaks in the milk/water for 15 minutes as whole wheat flour needs time to hydrate. Put on the stove and turn the heat to low-medium and keep stirring.
Prepare the eggplant: This step is super easy. Trim the top and bottoms of the eggplant off, slice it in half lengthwise, brush the eggplant with a bit of oil, then plop it on a grill or grill pan (a broiler works as well, but you won’t get grill lines) and cook it until tender.
Place the steaming rack over the warm water and leave to proof for 20 minutes. Turn on to high heat and once the water has come to a boil, steam the buns for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes before opening the lid. After 5 minutes have elapsed, crack open the lid to let the steam escape. 6kfKN21.
