Taiwanese popcorn chicken inspired gua bao

9 Jun

Written By Minna Lai

Five spice roasted vegetables and crispy baked tofu

Sichuan peppercorn scallion pesto

Garlic sesame sauce pungent yet refreshing

Crispy fried shallot and soft bao bun

S E R V I N G S : 1

A L L E R G Y : Gluten, soy, sesame

Ingredients.

Tofu / veg

¼ cup water

½ tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp soysauce

½ tsp sesame oil

100g firm tofu teared into chunks

½-1 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp Chinese five spice powder

1/6 tsp ground cumin

1/6 tsp white pepper

Salt

Broccolini, asparagus, mushroom, onion

Optional - fresh coriander/ sweet or Thai basil/ both

Pesto

4-5 scallion finely chopped

2 garlic minced

~½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns (adjust amount to your preference)

2 tbsp hot oil + more for blending

25g sweet or Thai basils

½ lemon juice

Salt

Sauce

2 garlic grated or minced

1 tbsp tahini or any sesame sauce

Rice or apple cider vinegar

Salt

Water to thin

Crispy fried shallot

Bao bun or whatever bread you like

Preparations.

Mix water, baking soda, soysauce, sesame oil and soak the tofu chunks for 15min
Mix garlic powder, Chinese five spice, white pepper, then mix with the vegetables, tofu, basil/coriander (be careful not to break the tofu though)and oil
Roast at 200C until the vegetables become slightly charred and tofu turn golden brown
Meanwhile, heat up 2 tbsp oil in a pan, then pour it over the finely chopped scallion, Sichuan peppercorns and garlic
When the scallion oil is cooled down, blend with basil leaves, lemon juice, salt and oil into a paste
Mix grated/minced garlic, tahini, vinegar, salt and water to make the sauce
Assemble everything together and garnish with crispy fried shallot

Notes / Chats.

Recommend using oil with high smoking point for heating and olive oil for blending, but whatever is fine
The oil is hot enough when you drop a piece of scallion into it and it sizzles immediately
Feel free to add more vegetables you like
Or you can use 1/6-1/4 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn or ½-1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn oil