Activate the yeast

Pour the warm water into a bowl. Add yeast and optional sugar. Stir to dissolve. Let sit for 5 minutes until fine foam appears on the surface.

Sugar feeds the yeast to speed up fermentation. Avoid hot water—it can kill the yeast.

Knead the dough

Add flour to a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the yeast water, stirring with chopsticks to form crumbles. Knead by hand into a smooth dough (about 5–8 minutes).

Note: I use instant yeast, so I add the yeast directly to the flour.

First rise

Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place (25–30°C) until doubled in size (about 1–1.5 hours).

Test: poke the dough with a floured finger. If the hole doesn't collapse or bounce back, it's ready.

Prep vegetables

Shiitake mushrooms: Remove stems, clean, and dice into 0.5 cm cubes.

Carrot: Peel and dice the same size as mushrooms.

Bok choy: Wash and drain. Boil water, add 1g salt + 1g baking soda. Blanch bok choy for 30 seconds. Cool in ice water, squeeze dry, finely chop. Wrap in cheesecloth and squeeze out remaining water.

Baking soda keeps the greens vibrant. Too much causes a bitter taste—measure carefully.

Cook mushroom and carrot filling

Heat oil in a pan until about 60% hot (bubbles appear around a chopstick). Add green onion and ginger, stir-fry until lightly golden. Add mushrooms and carrot, stir-fry over high heat for 2–3 minutes to remove moisture and bring out aroma.

Turn off the heat. Add salt, white pepper, vegetarian oyster sauce, and optional MSG. Mix and let cool (chill in fridge to speed up).

Combine filling

Mix the cooled mushroom-carrot mix with chopped bok choy. Stir to combine.

Divide dough

Take out the proofed dough and place on a floured board. Knead to remove air bubbles (about 2 minutes). Roll into a log and divide into 12 equal pieces (about 65g each).

Roll wrappers

Take one piece, knead smooth, roll into balls, flatten with your palm. Roll into a circle 8–10 cm in diameter—thicker in the center, thinner at the edges.

Wrap buns

Spoon about 30g filling in the center. Pleat and pinch closed using your right hand to pleat and your left to rotate.

Tip: Beginners can seal them as round buns or simple half-moons—just make sure they're sealed tightly.

Second rise

Line a steamer with parchment paper or brush with oil. Place buns inside with 2 cm spacing. Cover and let rise for 20–30 minutes until noticeably puffy and lightly springy when pressed.

Cold-start steaming

Place buns in the steamer. Fill the pot with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat (about 5 minutes), then steam for 12 minutes.

Cold water allows gentle expansion, preventing surface cracking.

Let rest before uncovering

Turn off the heat and let buns sit for 2 minutes before opening the lid.

Avoid sudden temperature drops to prevent collapsing. For larger buns, steam up to 15 minutes.