Chinese food is one of the most popular in the world. We have a lot to choose from, and there are so many different styles of cooking it that can take years to master them all. One dish that I think you should give a try is bao. It’s been gaining popularity for some time now and has even made its way into our grocery stores! Today we’re going to learn how to make Bacon & Spicy Peanut Sauce Bao. Let’s dive right in!
We will start by talking about the flavor you should expect from this dish. The bao is soft and fluffy, with a dense center that gives it its texture. It’s light on the inside but crispy outside- perfect for dipping in spicy peanut sauce!
Next we’ll talk about what you need to make Bacon & Spicy Peanut Sauce Bao. You will need a pack of round buns (either store bought or homemade), ground pork, bacon, green onion, cilantro leaves, soy sauce, garlic cloves, ginger root, sugar water mix (equal parts soy sauce and brown sugar) , lime juice from one lime along with some chili flakes if desired for heat. Start by thinly slicing your bacon into strips then cooking them up over medium high heat until they crisp nicely all around before removing.
Next, start cooking your ground pork in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is brown and crumbly with some moisture left behind or about 15 minutes. Add the soy sauce, garlic cloves, ginger root, green onion (optional) and cilantro leaves to taste along with the sugar water mix. Cook for another two minutes before removing from the pan to let cool slightly while you work on making your bao dough by combining flour – warm not hot! – eggs and milk into one bowl then shallow fry these disks of batter in batches until they are cooked through but still soft when gently poked before taking them out to cool as well.
Now that everything else has finished cooling down enough so we can assemble our dish, we can make our bacon by cutting it into small pieces then frying them in a pan with butter and making sure to cook until they’re crispy. Meanwhile, you’ll want to mix together the spicy mayo mixture which includes: peanut sauce (we recommend jarred or store-bought), Sriracha hot chili sauce (to taste) and lime juice for that sour kick. Add these ingredients to your favorite sandwich bread before topping with slices of the crispy bacon!
***What to do if you don’t have a certain ingredient?
You can always get creative and make a substitution if the ingredient you need is not available.
You may find that some of your favorite ingredients are not sold in your area, or maybe they’re just too expensive for what you want to spend on this recipe. That’s totally fine! Use these guidelines when deciding how to substitute an unavailable ingredient:
##For baking recipes:
-If there’s no eggs, try using applesauce instead (about ¾ cup). It will be denser and more moist than regular cake but it still tastes amazing with berries over top!
-In place of milk use coconut cream which is thick and creamy like heavy whipping cream and has natural sweetness from its sugar content. Coconut milk or almond butter can also work as substitutes.
-If you’re out of butter, try using coconut oil instead. It’s a versatile substitute that can be used for baking or frying (although it does have different properties).
-For some things like brown sugar and honey, the substitutes are pretty interchangeable in cooking recipes. You may want to test this first by making one recipe with your substitution and another without before deciding which really works best for what you want!
## For filling recipes:
-If you’re out of bacon, try using ham or turkey bacon.
-If you’re out of bok choy, use kale instead! Kale is delicious when it’s sauteed with garlic and olive oil.
-For the vegan option: omit bacon or substitute soy sauce for tamari in the peanut butter recipe – either would work well to make a filling that tastes satisfyingly similar to meat without sacrificing your vegetarian/vegan lifestyle!