Homemade Beetroot Bao Buns

Combine plain flour, caster sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and add in the instant yeast, vegetable oil and warm water. When the mixture becomes too stiff to stir, bring it together with your hands and knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes until smooth and soft.

Place your bao dough in an oiled bowl, covered with a clean tea towel and allow to prove in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, cook the beetroot in simmering water, then drain and blitz in a blender with chickpeas, red kidney beans, lemon juice, coriander, salt and olive oil, until smooth and thick. Roll the beetroot paste into bite-sized balls and coat in mixed sesame seeds, before gently pressing them into mini patties. Lay them out on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the fridge to firm up, until ready to bake.

Once your bao dough has doubled in size, knock the air out of the dough, kneading it for 1 minute. Roll this into a large round, roughly 2cm thick and brush with vegetable oil. Lightly oil the rim of a drinking glass and use this to cut out 8 circles from your bao dough. Fold the circles in half, then lay out on a parchment lined baking tray, cover and allow to prove for a further 2 hours.

When your bao buns have risen, set your bamboo steamer over a pan of simmering water and preheat the oven to 180c, fan.

Place your bao buns on individual squares of greaseproof paper inside the bamboo steamer, cover and cook your buns for 10-12 minutes, without removing the lid, until light and pillowy.

Meanwhile, bake your beetroot patties in the oven for 10 minutes.

Whisk together Hellmann’s Vegan Mayonnaise with beetroot juice until well combined and pastel pink.

To construct your baos, add a small handful of pickled red cabbage to the base, then add the beetroot patty and top with the julienned carrot. Drizzle over the Hellmann’s Pink Vegan Mayonnaise and garnish with sliced spring onion.