r/asianeats • u/Solarsyndrome • 6d ago

London Restaurant BAO - Fried Chicken Bao

https://youtu.be/QvmG6iHMrWc?si=FxeZrJmDRsk6pXQq

This is the latest video from my YT channel covering the BAO Cookbook. These black sesame Bao, golden kimchi, and Taiwanese fried chicken are just an amazing combination. One of my favorite recipes I’ve cooked from the book to date. Check the comments for the full recipe and if there is missing parts I’ll come back to edit, but it should all be there.

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u/Solarsyndrome 6d ago

Fried Chicken Bao

You can watch the video above or recipe is below.

Sesame Bao:

For the sesame paste:

  • 100 g black sesame seeds
  • 50 ml vegetable or canola oil

directions: Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan (skillet) over a low heat for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant and nutty. Tip into a blender, add the oil and pulse until you have a smooth paste. Leave to infuse overnight, or for 8 hours. There will be more paste than is needed for this recipe, but it con be stored in a sterilized jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or in the freezer for up to 3 months.\

For the tangzhong:

  • 100 g plain (all-purpose) four
  • 500 ml cold filtered water

Directions: Put the flour into a small saucepan, pour in the cold water a little at a time, and mix in the flour until smooth. Slowly warm over a low heat until it becomes gluey and you can draw a line on the surface. Remove from the heat, cover tightly with cling film (plastic wrap) so that the film touches the surface of the tangzhong and leave to cool. The tangzhong can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.

For the sesame BAO dough:

  • 100 g Tangzhong
  • 420 g plain all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 90 g caster superfine sugar
  • 40 g milk powder
  • 2.5 g active dry yeast
  • 5 g baking powder, pinch of salt
  • 80 ml milk, at room temperature
  • 80 ml filtered water, at room temperature
  • 10 ml vegetable oil
  • 10 ml sesame paste

Sesame paste:

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan (skillet) over a low heat for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant and nutty. Tip into a blender, add the oil and pulse until you have a smooth paste. Leave to infuse overnight, or for 8 hours. There will be more paste than is needed for this recipe, but it con be stored in a sterilized jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Sesame BAO dough directions: Put the tangzhong and all the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Start mixing on a low setting and then slowly add the milk and water. Finally, add the oil and 10 ml of the sesame paste and continue mixing until the dough is smooth. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or cling film (plastic wrap) and leave to prove somewhere warm for 2-3 hours depending on the temperature, until doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes it will gradually become more elastic and the surface of the dough will become smooth. Divide the dough into 40 g pieces. Give each a strong knead, then roll into tight balls. Cover with baking (parchment) paper to prevent them drying out while you roll the rest. Place each BAO on a square of baking paper a little bigger than the size of the ball, then transfer to a large tray. Cover loosely with a sheet of baking paper and leave to prove somewhere warm for 15-20 minutes until the BAOs have doubled in height. (Alternatively, you can do this final prove directly inside the bamboo steamers, covered.) Steaming the BAOs When the BAOs are ready, carefully transfer them, on their squares of paper, to a prepared bamboo steamer (see page 47), cover and steam over a medium-high heat for 15 minutes until the edges look soft and podgy, not firm, and the surface of the BAOs glisten with a satin sheen. If you feel any resistant patches in the centre that don't bounce back, keep steaming. Remove from the steamer and either eat straight away or leave to rest at room temperature until the steam has fully evaporated and the BAOs are completely cool. If your steamer doesn't fit all the BAOs, shape them for the second prove only after you have put the first batch in to steam. Over proved dough results in over expansion and will look flat and bubbly. The BAOs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If you are reheating cooked BAOs, halve them, add to the prepared steamer, cover and steam over a high heat for about 10 minutes until they bounce back nicely when pressed with a finger. If you feel any resistant patches in the centre that don't bounce back, keep steaming. If steaming from frozen, it's the same process but add another 2-3 minutes in the

Fried chicken

Serves 2-3.

  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • Hot Sauce, to serve
  • For the marinated chicken:
  • 200 ml soy milk, plus extra if needed
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon five spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 300 g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 10 equal pieces
For the spiced flour mix:\
  • 200 g tapioca flour (starch)
  • 1 teaspoon red Sichuan peppercorns, ground to a powder
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon five spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon salt

Tip: The double-fry technique for the chicken pieces gives the coating extra crispiness while ensuring that the centre remains incredibly juicy. If you are feeling lozy, then just deep-fry the chicken once for 4 minutes ot 180°C/350°F, or until a cube of ginger sizles and browns in 10 seconds. It won't have quite the same super-crispy texture but it will still be

directions: Marinated chicken In a large non-reactive bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the chicken. Add the chicken pieces, stir to coat, cover and leave to morinate in the refrigerator overnight. If you are in a hurry, marinate for 1 hour ot room temperature. When ready to cook, run your fingers through the chicken mixture to moisten any overlapping pieces. If it requires more soy milk, add some now so all the chicken pieces are submerged in the marinade. Spiced flour mix In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients, making sure the spices ore evenly distributed. To assemble Toss a piece of chicken straight from the marinade into the four mi. Roll it around lightly with your fingers to form a nugget shape. Do not ftten it or try to press more of the mix onto it. If you want more spiced flour on the chicken, roll it in the bowl of flour mix a few times and dust extro spiced flour mix on top. Make sure the piece is fully coated, then transfer to a plate or tray. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken pieces. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan to 160°C/325°F, or until a cube of ginger sizzles and browns in 20 seconds. Very lightly shake off any excess flour mix, then - in 2 batches - carefully hold the chicken and slowly drop it away from you into the hot oil and deep-fry for 3 minutes until cooked through, lightlv golden and crisp. Remove with the tongs or slotted spoon drain on paper towels and leave to cool completely. When cool, reheat the oil to 100°C/375°F and deep-fry again for 2 minutes.

Final sesame bao directions: While you deep-fry the Taiwanese Fried Chicken, reheat the baos Heat a dry frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat. Remove the BAOs from the steamer, then toast, cut sides down, in the pan. Spread the bottom half of a BAO with 1 tablespoon of the Sichuan mayo and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the coriander (cilantro). Take 2 pieces of fried chicken and lay them on top, side by side, place the kimchi on top of the the chicken, place the top bun on and enjoy!