Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns – 水煎包 (Shui Jian bao)

Day 2 of Cooking 15 Street Foods for 15 Days, and today we are making a Taiwanese Classic Street Food that I grew up eating at least 3x a week, Crispy Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns that are insanely delicious!

Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns – 水煎包 (Shui Jian bao) is one of the best things you will ever put in your mouth! The bao is pan-fried till crispy and golden brown, while the inside is packed with a savory vegetable filling. Extra Crispy Buns that I promise every person in your household will LOVE! 

These Pan-Fried Buns are vegetarian-friendly, but I promise even meat-lovers like myself LOVE them!

The filling is super flavourful and has a fantastic texture. The trick to keeping the cabbage crispy and not soggy is to always “salt” the cabbage to draw out all the water. Let is sit for at least 10 minutes and squeeze out all the excess water. This extra step will help keep the cabbage crunchy and fresh and prevent the dough from becoming soggy. Another tip is to saute the other vegetables such as shiitake mushroom, carrots, green onion, and black fungus ahead of time to bring out all the flavors. By sauteeing the shiitake mushroom, it will also help give the mushroom a “meaty” texture. 

The dough may seem intimidating, but trust me, it is fail-proof and super easy to make with a few simple ingredients.

The trick to making good dough is to be patient! Practice makes perfect, and you want to make sure to let it rest between each step for it to rise. There are many ways to wrap the bao, I am pinching everything close as it is the easiest method to prevent the bao from bursting, but you can also google and make other patterns. Just make sure that the top is pinched closed so when pan-frying, the filling doesn’t explode.  These Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns expand in size once cooked, so make sure to separate them, so it doesn’t stick together. I also recommend using a non-stick pan, so it is easier when flipping. 

Growing up in Taiwan, I had Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns for breakfast at least 3x a week!

My go-to breakfast combo was always Vegetable Buns plus Soy Milk. If you have never been to Taiwan, we take breakfast VERY seriously there. You got so many options of both savory and sweet, and everything tastes AMAZING. I have a mini Breakfast Food series where I share how to make:

• Homemade Authentic Soy Milk (Easy & Healthy)
• Classic Taiwanese Green Onion Egg Pancake (Dan Bing)
• Crispy Pan-Fried Pork Buns – Sheng Jian Bao
• Chicken Congee – Secret Tip that will save you SO MUCH TIME!
• Taiwanese Breakfast Sandwich – 5 Minutes and 5 Ingredients ONLY
• Easy Turnip Cake (Dimsum Style!)

The dipping sauce is really up to you! I love eating mine with black vinegar, sesame seeds, and alot of Homemade Chili Oil.

These Crispy Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns can last in the freezer for up to 2 months, so if you make extra, don’t worry, they make a great appetizer, lunch, dinner, or even breakfast! Once you are done wrapping, let the buns rest on parchment paper, spread apart and freeze for 2 hours. Once they are completely frozen, you can store them in a ziplock bag.

When you are ready to eat, drizzle oil in the pan, add in the vegetable buns and pour in enough oil so ¼ of the bun is covered in water. Turn the heat up to medium-high and put the lid on, and let it cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip and let it cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on both sides.

Ingredients 

• 2 cups of Flour 
• 1 tsp of Salt 
• ½ cup of Cold Water 
• ½ cup of Warm Water 
• 1 tsp of Yeast 
• 1 tsp of Sugar 
• ½ Cabbage sliced 
• 2 tbsp of Salt
• ½ cup of Shiitake Mushroom Sliced 
• ½ cup of Black Fungus sliced 
• ⅓ of a Carrot sliced 
• 2 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster Sauce 
• 1 tbsp of Mushroom Powder 
• 2 tbsp of Sesame Oil
• 1 tsp of White Pepper 
• 3 Stalks of Green Onion (chopped and separated) 
• 50g  Vermicelli Noodles (Mung Bean Noodles) 

1. Mix 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 tsp of sugar. Sprinkle on 1 tsp of yeast, mix, and let it set aside for 5 minutes
2. In a large bowl, add in 2 cups of flour and 1 tsp of salt. Slowly pour in the yeast mixture, and using a chopstick, mix everything till flakey. Next, pour in ½ cup of cold water and mix well; keep kneading until it forms into a ball. Cover and let it rest for 1 hour
3. Add 2 tbsp of Salt to sliced cabbage and massage the cabbage for 1 minute. Let it rest for 10 minutes, so all the water comes out. 
4. In the meantime, in a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil, sliced mushrooms, carrots, black fungus, and the white parts of the green onion. Turn the heat to medium-high and saute for 2-3 minutes, drawing out all the water. 
5. In a bowl, add mung bean noodles and pour hot water over them. Let it rest for 2 minutes and pour the water out. Using a scissor, cut the mung bean noodles into small pieces. 
6. After 10 minutes, squeeze out all the excess water from the cabbage and set it aside. 
7. In a large bowl, add in cabbage, sautee vegetables, green onion, noodles, 2 tbsp of vegetarian oyster sauce, 1 tbsp of mushroom powder, 2 tbsp of sesame oil, 1 tsp of white pepper, and mix well. 
8. After 1 hour, the dough should now be softer. Roll out the dough and cut it into eight even pieces. Roll individual dough into a circle not too thin. Add in 2 tbsp of filling in the middle and pinching everything together until it is closed. Tightly pinch the top to ensure it is fully closed. (refer to video tutorial + pictures) 
9. Turn the heat to medium, and in a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and the buns. Make sure the side with the folds is facing down. Pour in ½ cup of water and put the lid on for it to cook for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, flip and let it cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes or until crispy.

Recommended Brands –

• Vegetarian Oyster Sauce 
• Mushroom Powder 
• Sesame Oil
• Vermicelli Noodles (Mung Bean Noodles) 

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5 from 1 vote

Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns – 水煎包 (Shui Jian bao)

Day 2 of Cooking 15 Street Foods for 15 Days, and today we are making a Taiwanese Classic Street Food that I grew up eating at least 3x a week, Crispy Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns that are insanely delicious! Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns – 水煎包 (Shui Jian bao) is one of the best things you will ever put in your mouth! The bao is pan-fried till crispy and golden brown, while the inside is packed with a savory vegetable filling. Extra Crispy Buns that I promise every person in your household will LOVE!

Prep Time1 hr 30 mins

Active Time30 mins

Total Time2 hrs

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Chinese

Yield: 8 Buns

Materials

• 2 cups of Flour
• 1 tsp of Salt
• ½ cup of Cold Water
• ½ cup of Warm Water
• 1 tsp of Yeast
• 1 tsp of Sugar
• ½ Cabbage sliced
• 2 tbsp of Salt
• ½ cup of Shiitake Mushroom sliced
• ½ cup of Black Fingus sliced
• ⅓ of a Carrot sliced
• 2 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
• 1 tbsp of Mushroom Powder
• 2 tbsp of Sesame Oil
• 1 tsp of White Pepper
• 3 Stalks of Green Onion chopped and separated
• 50 g Vermicelli Noodles Mung Bean Noodles

Instructions

• Mix 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 tsp of sugar. Sprinkle on 1 tsp of yeast, mix, and let it set aside for 5 minutes
• In a large bowl, add in 2 cups of flour and 1 tsp of salt. Slowly pour in the yeast mixture, and using a chopstick, mix everything till flakey. Next, pour in ½ cup of cold water and mix well; keep kneading until it forms into a ball. Cover and let it rest for 1 hour
• Add 2 tbsp of Salt to sliced cabbage and massage the cabbage for 1 minute. Let it rest for 10 minutes, so all the water comes out.
• In the meantime, in a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil, sliced mushrooms, carrots, black fungus, and the white parts of the green onion. Turn the heat to medium-high and saute for 2-3 minutes, drawing out all the water.
• In a bowl, add mung bean noodles and pour hot water over them. Let it rest for 2 minutes and pour the water out. Using a scissor, cut the mung bean noodles into small pieces.
• After 10 minutes, squeeze out all the excess water from the cabbage and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, add in cabbage, sautee vegetables, green onion, noodles, 2 tbsp of vegetarian oyster sauce, 1 tbsp of mushroom powder, 2 tbsp of sesame oil, 1 tsp of white pepper, and mix well.
• After 1 hour, the dough should now be softer. Roll out the dough and cut it into eight even pieces. Roll individual dough into a circle not too thin. Add in 2 tbsp of filling in the middle and pinching everything together until it is closed. Tightly pinch the top to ensure it is fully closed. (refer to video tutorial + pictures)
  
• Turn the heat to medium, and in a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and the buns. Make sure the side with the folds is facing down. Pour in ½ cup of water and put the lid on for it to cook for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, flip and let it cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes or until crispy.

Video

Notes

The dipping sauce is really up to you! I love eating mine with black vinegar, sesame seeds, and alot of Homemade Chili Oil. These Crispy Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns can last in the freezer for up to 2 months, so if you make extra, don’t worry, they make a great appetizer, lunch, dinner, or even breakfast! Once you are done wrapping, let the buns rest on parchment paper, spread apart and freeze for 2 hours. Once they are completely frozen, you can store them in a ziplock bag.

When you are ready to eat, drizzle oil in the pan, add in the vegetable buns and pour in enough oil so ¼ of the bun is covered in water. Turn the heat up to medium-high and put the lid on, and let it cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip and let it cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on both sides.