Bao Buns with Halloumi and Mango and Salsa

These soft, fluffy bao buns filled with golden halloumi and a fresh mango salsa make a brilliant sharing dish or light lunch. The contrast of warm steamed buns, salty cheese and sweet, zesty salsa is what makes this recipe so special. It’s a great one for relaxed weekend cooking, summer lunches or when you want something a little different that still feels easy and full of flavour.

Timings

Prep time: 30 minutes (plus 1 hour 30 minutes proving time)

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4–5

Ingredients

For the Bao Buns

• 360g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

• 4g baking powder

• 5g instant dry yeast

• 35g sugar

• 35g vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing the dough

• 200g warm water

  
  

For the Salsa

• 1 red onion, chopped

• 1 red chilli, chopped

• 1 lime

• 1 mango, peeled and finely diced

• 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley

• 2 tbsp olive oil

  
  

To Fill

• 225g halloumi cheese

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Place the flour, baking powder, yeast and sugar in a large bowl and mix together.

2. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the vegetable oil and warm water. Stir with a spoon, then bring together with your hands to form a dough.

3. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth. Return to the bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

4. Once risen, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knock it back by kneading for 2–3 minutes.

5. Roll the dough out to about 1cm thick, then use a 10cm cutter to stamp out rounds. Re-roll the trimmings as needed. Brush each round with a little oil and fold in half.

6. Place the folded buns into a bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper. Cover and leave to prove for 30 minutes.

7. Fill a wok one-third full with water and bring to the boil. Place the bamboo steamer over the wok and steam the buns for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave them to rest for 5 minutes without lifting the lid.

8. For the salsa, place the chopped red onion in a bowl with the lime juice. Add the chopped chilli, diced mango, olive oil and parsley, then stir well.

9. Slice the halloumi, drizzle with olive oil and fry in a hot pan on both sides until golden.

10. Fill the warm bao buns with the fried halloumi and spoon over the mango salsa before serving.