Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, these crispy bottom veggie buns are super delicious, and best of all, no yeast is required. I filled them with crunchy green beans, carrot, tofu, and seasoned with just salt, white pepper, and toasted sesame oil. This is my most remade dish from @woon.heng
Buns or dumplings are definitely my favorite go-to meals when I’m trying to include more vegetables in my diet. This is my family’s favorite comfort food and they are perfect for make-ahead meals. The buns have a soft texture with a crispy outer layer which makes it a great snack or finger food.
Why make this recipe
- No yeast required
- Easy to fold and pleat
- Has a soft and pliable dough due to the hot water method
- Minimal ingredients needed: flour, water, salt
- The filling is easily customizable: try a combination of mashed chickpeas, or mashed potatoes to substitute the tofu. And, use other delicious crunchy vegetables such as asparagus, kale stems, broccoli or cabbage to substitute the green beans
How to make Crispy Bottom Veggie Buns
Dough
First, prepare the dough by mixing flour and salt in a large bowl. Then, slowly add in the hot water and using a spatula or a pair of chopsticks, mix to combine.
Knead into a shaggy dough until there are no dry spots of flour in the bowl. If there are, add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time to bind the flour together.
Transfer dough onto a cleaned surface and continue to knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
Filling
For the filling, I simply sautéed chopped green beans with a drizzle of oil until fully cooked through. Then, season it accordingly.
To prepare the tofu, I placed mine in a nut milk bag and squeezed out as much liquid as possible. Place tofu, sautéed chopped green beans, chopped carrots in a bowl, and season accordingly with salt, white pepper, and toasted sesame oil. Then, I divide the mixture into 10 equal portions and form each into a patty-like mold.
Assembling
Transfer rested dough onto a cleaned surface. Knead it a few times if it’s not already smooth. Then, divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
Work with one dough at a time and cover the rest with a damp towel. Dust some flour on the surface, and roll the dough into a 4″ diameter circular disc.
Place the filling in the middle and pinch to seal. Flatten the bun with your palm, then dip the smooth side with water and then sesame seeds. Place it on a pan and repeat with the rest of the dough.
How to cook the buns
Add some oil to a non-stick pan and swirl to cover the base of the pan. Place the sesame side down into the pan with a small gap between the buns. Then turn on the heat to medium setting.
Pan-fry the buns until golden brown (be patient with this step). Flip, and add enough water to cover at least 1/3rd of the buns’ height. Cover and cook the buns over medium heat until all water has completely evaporated, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and serve with a side of sauce of choice.
Cooking Tips
- Divide filling into equal portions and form them into a patty-like ball. This step helps me keep the filling intact while wrapping the bun.
- Measure the flour using a scale. See recipe notes if you are using standard measuring cups
- Use low to medium heat to cook the buns. High heat creates a crispy layer quickly but possibly end up with uncooked dough around the filling.
- If your pan doesn’t come with a lid, use another same size pan as lid by flipping it upside down.
- Thanks to all the readers who shared the gluten-free tip: Self-raising gluten-free flour works well in this recipe.
Dough Troubleshooting Tips
My dough is too hard – Hot water dough is not as soft as other temperature dough during the first knead. First, be sure there are no dry spots of flour left in the bowl when you mix in with the water. If there are, add a little bit of cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time to bind all the flour together. Then, let the dough rest longer (covered) and knead again.
The dough is not smooth – Hot water dough will have a somewhat smooth top, but not as smooth as cold water after the first knead. To achieve the smooth top, once you knead into a shaggy dough, let the dough rest, covered, for at least 30 minutes, then try to knead again.
My filling keeps falling out during wrapping – I used pressed and crumbled tofu as a binder and form the filling into a patty-like shape to avoid filling that will fall out.
My dough is breaking while wrapping – Remove as much moisture as you can from the filling. If the filling is too wet and touches the wrapper for too long, it will start to break. Or try not to roll the dough too thin if this is your first time making the recipe.
How to store the buns
- Lay wrapped buns in one layer on a baking sheet.
- Freeze until buns are hardened
- Remove buns from the baking sheet and store them together in a bag, then freeze. This 2-steps freeze method will prevent buns from sticking together.
- No thawing needed when you are ready to pan-fry them.
These crispy bottom veggies buns are
- Soft – I used hot boiling water for the dough to break down the gluten which creates a really soft and pliable dough
- Not as fluffy as yeast dough but equally tasty with a chewier texture
- Pan-fried really well with an amazing crispy layer
- Perfect pair with homemade chili oil, soy sauce and garnish with green onions.
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!
Crispy Bottom Veggie Buns ‘生煎蔬菜饼’
Ingredients
Dough (makes 10 buns)
- 300 g [~2 1/2 cups] all-purpose (plain) flour see notes below if using cups
- 175 ml [3/4 cup] hot boiling water
- a pinch of salt
Filling and Seasoning
- 1/2 lb [250g] green beans chopped
- 14 oz [397g] firm tofu pressed and mashed
- 1 small carrot finely chopped
- a handful of chopped cilantro
- 3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust accordingly
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
Other
- oil for cooking
- sesame seeds
- a handful of chopped green onions
Instructions
Dough
- To make the bun wrapper, place flour and salt into a large bowl and mix until well combined.
- Make a well in the middle and pour in the hot water. Using a spatula, fold in all the flour until a shaggy dough forms with no dry spots of flour in the bowl (if there is, add cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time).
- Transfer the dough onto a cleaned surface and knead into a dough, about 10-12 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for 30 mins.
Filling
- Meanwhile, place tofu in a nutmilk bag and wring out all the liquid.
- In a heated non-stick pan with 2 teaspoons of oil, sauté chopped green beans for about 2 minutes or until green beans turn to a darker green.
- Place cooked green beans into a bowl along with the tofu, carrot, and seasoning ingredients.
- Mix all ingredients until well combined and divide the mixture into 10 portions. Using your both of your palms, form it into a patty-like shape.
Assemble
- When the dough is ready, dust flour on the surface and roll the dough out into a log, and then divide into 10 equal portions.
- To assemble, take one dough and flatten it with your palm.
- Hold the wrapper with your non-dominant hand and a roller with your dominant hand. Roll the dough by pushing from the outside towards the middle of the wrapper.
- Twist and turn your wrapper while doing this (with your non-dominant hand). Roll it into a 4.5 inches diameter disc. With this rolling method, the middle of the wrapper is thicker which creates a good safety net for the filling.
- Place one filling patty in the middle and pleat to seal.
- Dab the smooth side with water and gently press on some sesame seeds. Continue with the rest of the ingredients.
Cook the buns – Potsticker style
- To cook the buns, heat a non-stick pan (used 12") with a tablespoon of oil.
- Gently flatten each bun with your palms and place them in the pan, sesame side down, slightly apart. Fit as many as you can in one layer.
- Cook until the bottom turns golden brown, then flip the buns and add 1 to 1.5 cups [250g-375g] of water (be sure the water covers > than ⅓th of the bun's height).
- Cover the pan with a lid, preferably glass and turn heat to low-medium. Cook until all water has completely evaporated, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Cook the buns in an oven
- Alternatively, preheat oven to 375F (195°C) and brush the buns with oil.
- Bake the buns for about 20-25 mins or until golden brown, flipping in between.
Serving suggestions
- Sauce 1: Serve with chopped green onions and soy sauce.
- Sauce 2: Serve with sliced ginger with Chenkiang vinegar
- Sauce 3: Serve with chili sauce such as sambal oelek or homemade chili oil
Video
Notes
- To measure flour in the cup, I used the spoon and sweep method. Spoon flour into a standard measuring cup, then level the top with a knife without packing the flour, which I had about ~63g in 1/2 cup.
- I highly recommend using a weighing scale to measure the flour and water needed for this recipe.
- All-purpose flour is the same as plain flour. Please note that some all-purpose flour brands have higher protein content which makes the dough a tad chewier.
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.
Hi There,
These look amazing! Have you, or has anyone else, made these with gluten free flour? Any tips or tricks for successful GF Buns? Thanks in advance:☺️
Hello Meg, thanks for reaching out. Actually, there are many readers who made my buns recipe with gf self-rising flour before. Not sure if you are able to get those. Hope others can chime in as well. Thanks, WoonHeng
These are simply delicious, thank you! Mine always stick a little to the pan 🙁 What type of pan are you using, may I ask?
Many, many thanks Zoë, so glat you liked it. I’m using a stone ceramic and like it so far. 🙂 Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks, WoonHeng
I loved making this recipe with my partner tonight. We filled the dumplings with red cabbage, carrot and shiitake mushrooms. I also made a sauce with ponzu, soy sauce, green onions, and gochujang sauce. Yum!
Hey Laura, thanks so so much! I’m really happy to hear that you and your partner enjoyed it. yay! Your sauce sounds delish. I love ponzu and gochujang. nom nom. Best, WoonHeng
What are some other fillings you could use instead of tofu and green beans?
Hi there, great question. You can try mashed chickpeas, potatoes and other vegetables of choice or mushrooms. Let me know if you need anything else. Best, WoonHeng
Hi! Can you post the recipe for the sauce that goes with these? Thanks!
Hey Kaitlyn, the sauce is a simple mixture of soy sauce and a little chili oil with sediment, then top with chopped green onion. Or you can use toasted sesame oil with a little minced ginger or garlic and chili sauce too. I’ll add the options to the notes section. Thanks for the feedback. Best, WoonHeng
These were absolutely amazing. I’m making them again this weekend! Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
Woohoo, thank sooo much, Renée. I’m really happy you loved the recipe. Thank you for your amazing support. Best, WoonHeng
I’m definitely preparing to make these, can I prepare them and store them in the fridge for hours until I’m ready to make them or would you suggest doing it all at the same time?
Hello Renee, that’s awesome. I am guessing you were referring to storing the dough? If you want to store the dough after you knead them, yes, you feel free and let the dough come to room temperature before filling them up. Hope that helps. I personally make them all at the same time. 🙂
I used bobs red mill all purpose flour. Nothing worked like the photo but it all wound up working. It was good and I am going to keep making this. Thank you
Hey Jenna, thanks so much for your feedback and sharing the flour you used. I normally use King Arthur’s and will give bob’s red mill a try next time. Thanks a lot for trying out the recipe and I’m sure yours turned out awesome. 🙂 Have a beautiful day! Best, WoonHeng
Really great recipe! I have bad wrists, so I opted to “knead” with my kitchenaid mixer and dough hook for 2/3 the time. Turned out great! Extra tasty with a scallion/soy sauce mix and sambal/gochuchang oil sauce – we love a good condiment!
Hey Ally, thanks so much for sharing your feedback. So glad you loved this recipe and yes it works in a mixer too. 🙂 Hope you give other recipes a try as well. Have a beautiful weekend. Best, WoonHeng
Winner! Surprisingly simple process that is very well explained. I was using whatever was left in the fridge so sauteed broccoli, ginger, carrot first then added to tofu seasoned with cumin,cinnamon and coriander (cilantro). Was nervous about the dough, I’ve never made much, and think mine wasn’t thin enough as I could only fit 60-70% of the filling in to the 10 buns. To hedge my bets I did half in the oven and half in the pan. YUM!! Prefer the pan version but so room for tweaking these bad boys, I’ll be trying both ways again. Thank you Woon Heng.
Sounds awesome and what a wonderful job! Your filling ingredients sound amazing. When you wrap the filling, you can try to push the filling to the dough to stretch it out a little. That way the dough can fit more filling. I’m thrilled that you tried both methods, thanks for sharing your feedback and rating this recipe, Ben. Hope you get to try some other recipes soon. Have a great day! Best, Woon Heng
Do you have any recommendations for vegan fillings other than tofu? Maybe mashed chick peas or cooked and mashed lentils? Than you.
Yes, it will work great with mashed chickpeas or lentils. I have a recipe Guo Kui that I used mashed chickpeas that you can take a look too. 🙂 Thanks again!
Wonderful recipe! Whenever I make this for people, they are so impressed with how yummy it is and that it’s tofu! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
That’s so so awesome to hear. Thank you for making this recipe and I’m really happy to hear everyone liked this. You are awesome. 🙂 Have a beautiful day. Best, WoonHeng
Help! How do you fix the filling if it is too wet? 🙁
Hi there, you can put the filling back into the nutmilk bag and squeeze out the liquid or pan fry them in a pan. Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks.
what is a nutmilk bag and since I don’t have one, what else can I substitute?
Also when you say freeze them, do you mean freeze them before they are fried or after they are fried and then reheated in the pan?
Hi there, it’s a cloth bag used to make nut milk. You can use a cheesecloth or a large spice bag or if you have tofu press, you can squeeze out the water with that too. You can freeze them after they are wrapped in its raw state or after they are pan-fried. If you are freezing before while the dough is raw, please cook the same way and increase the cooking time. If you are freezing after they are pan-fried, then you can reheat or steam as you preferred. Hope that helps. and thanks.
Loved this recipe your instructions and tips were amazing! How many calories is this meal?
Thanks!!!!
Many, many thanks for your wonderful feedback. Currently, I don’t have an app to count the calories, but you can use paypalfitness to check it. Hope that helps. Have a beautiful day. Sincerely, WoonHeng
Thank you for this interesting recipe! Tried them, and I burned the sesame side quite badly, so I found they got a bit bitter. Everyone else loved them and all were eaten. I was asked to make them again, and I shall take care with the temperature even more next time. I added soya sauce for seasoning to the mixture too as I found it too bland when I sampled the filling. The folding was a real challenge, and some buns looked average. However they stayed together during the cooking process which was my biggest concern. I served with hot chili sauce.
Thank you so much for your feedback, dear. You can use raw sesame seeds which should help or if you want, you can add them after they are cooked instead. For the folding, as long as the openings are all sealed, they should be good. You can also use a bowl as the ‘cup’ for the wrapper, that way you don’t have to worry about holding it with your hand. Hope that helps. I want to sincerely thank you again for giving this recipe a try and let me know how the second time goes. Happy cooking. Best, WoonHeng
I could not resist commenting. Very well written!
you are too sweet, thanks so much and hope you give this a try. Have a wonderful day! 🙂
Loved these when I made them, although I switched out the filling with ground beef and lots of steamed veggies but they were just as good, even my extremely picky eaters kept asking for more.
My dough was thinner and less fluffy but chewy, not sure why, but would love to make these again. What other fillings do you suggest?
Thanks for the feedback and rating and glad to hear even your picky eaters loved it. This is a no yeast dough that will not fluff up as much. You can try any vegetables or fill with seitan or stir-fry jackfruit. Thanks a lot.
Such an AMAZING recipe. I second the person that mentioned the care you’ve put into creating your recipes and building your website and videos. Each one of them look so amazing – I hope one day soon, you’ll have a cookbook 🙂
I made these today and WOW! So delicious. They certainly didn’t look as pretty as yours but they tasted amazing. I also tried your chili paste recipe and I was pleased at the flavor. I selected some chili flakes that were not as hot as typical and it’s my favorite new condiment.
Thank you for sharing your talent with the world – I will make my way through your recipes.
Hello Jaynie, thanks so much for your wonderful feedback and I’m super happy to hear that you made these yummy buns today and I bet your chili paste is amazing too. Thanks for your encouragement and hope you get to try more recipes soon. Have a beautiful day. Best, WoonHeng
Hi can we use quinoa flour for a gluten free recipe and is it possible to bake it instead of pan frying it? Thank you
Hello Michelle, thanks for your question. I haven’t tried with quinoa flour before, so I’m not sure how stretchy this flour is. I have tried baking these but I used flour and they work. Let me know if you have any other questions at all.
These look awesome! I’m nervous to add the water to the pan for the final stage. Your instructions say to cover 1/3 if the buns and put on a lid. That seems like a lot of water! How will it evaporate if the lid is on? Won’t the water make the buns wet and soggy? Or do the bins absorb the liquid? Should the water be boiling water temperature? Or room temperature? It
Hello Loren, thanks for your comment. The water is added to ‘steam’ and cook the raw bun at the same time. Yes the water will evaporate even with a lid on. 🙂 You can check out my Youtube video if that helps. I added room temperature water. If you have a smaller pan, you can reduce the water. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Thanks so much!
Firstly thanks for you prompt reply as well as all the care and effort you have put into creating awesome videos and a beautiful blog/website that is easy to use for anyone wanting to try your recipes! THANK YOU! I do have some more questions. My kids and I tried making the buns yesterday.
1. Do you have some tips for the ‘folding’. We did watch the video many times, but found that sometimes they would tear open towards the end of folding the dough around the filling.
2. We added the water, 1/3 up the buns and put on the lids, but 10 minutes later the buns looked like they were in a weird ‘BROTH’ when we lifted the lids, as all the water was there and even looked like MORE than before? We also don’t understand how the water is supposed to evaporate when the lids are on because the lids are keeping the steam trapped inside?
Many thanks 🙂
Hello Loren, no problem at all, and thank you for trying and your feedback. To answer your questions:
1. For the folding, you can bring all the sides to the middle and make a pinch there, no pleating needed. As long as everything is sealed together, you should be good. When your top starts to tear, that means it was rolled out too thin or the filling was too wet.
2. For the water: Not sure how your pan with lid looks like but sounds like your pan must be very good like those pressure cooker version where the water will not escape. Mine always evaporates fast and if I am making other dishes and forget about it, it will dry out so quickly. If it looks like there are a lot of broth, you can remove the lid and let it evaporate but you can only do that once the buns are fully cooked through. This step can help crisp up the bottom as well. Since your pan with lid is tight, in the future, you can stick a fork between the cover and pan to leave a gap. When you said look like even MORE, I wonder if there are cracks from the bun which allows the filling’s moisture to mix with the water as well. Tips: filling moisture needs to be somewhat dry, especially if you are using tofu. The bun wrapper shouldn’t be rolled out too thin.
Hope this helps and let me know if you have any questions at all and thanks again for letting me know about your pan.
Have a wonderful day and happy cooking!
Tried this yesterday! Reaaaally yummy recipe. I had some leftover dough and was wondering if this would last another day without freezing.
Yay Vanessa, thanks so much and I’m happy to hear you loved the recipe. You can wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for a day, when ready, thaw completely to room temp before filling them up. 🙂 Best, WoonHeng
I used Beyond Meat in the filling and it worked great. Thanks for this recipe! It’s excellent!!
ooh, YUM! Thanks so much Beth, love your filling, I need to try that some time. Really appreciate your feedback and rating. thanks so much! best, WH
These look amazing and I can’t wait to try making them!! Beautiful step by step instructions 😍
Thank you so much Shoshana, I’m so glad you loved the step-by-step instructions, thanks for your feedback and I can’t wait to see your creations!❤️
These veggie buns were incredible! I’ve never made any kind of bun or dumpling like this before, but the YouTube video really helped me see exactly what steps were needed- specifically with the dough making and creating the shape of the bun. I used sautéd cabbage and mushrooms instead of green beans. I love how the filling is customizable. I made half in a pan and half in the oven, both turned out well. They were also great after heating up in the microwave! I will be making these again soon!
This looks so delicious!
Thanks so much Jeff!! 🙂
AMAZING vegan recipes with an Asian twist!!
Every recipe is explained perfectly <3
Adi!! Thanks so so much, really appreciate your feedback and thank you so much for all the loving support. Best, WoonHeng