These Vegan Teddy Bear Mantou require less than 10 ingredients to make and are great for breakfast or as a snack. They are fluffy and do not require proofing time.

I wondered in my mind how bad the teacher would mispronounce my last name.

I was usually one of the few or only Asian in my class growing up even when I was in high school with over 4,000 students. Every morning whenever they called out the names for class attendance or during award ceremonies, I cringe whenever the teacher mispronounced my last name, not bothering to ask whether they pronounced it correctly. As it would, other kids would start making fun of me for it.

Of course, the little me just wants to have a different last name completely so that I could blend in with everyone else. There would be times when I would tell some of the students in the class that my last name was shortened because it is too long to avoid being made fun of. Over the years when I sought to blend in more and more, avoid eating any Chinese or Vietnamese food when I am out, avoiding speaking Cantonese or being in Asian groups at school, I began to lose some of my cultural roots with me. My Cantonese is so rusty I wonder how my mom can understand what I’m saying sometimes whenever I call her.

I wasn’t always proud of being Asian, but this past year and this year has taught me to embrace my cultural roots fully, to be proud of where my family came from and proud of my Chinese name. When combined, my name “Mei” and my sister’s “Lai” means “beautiful” in Chinese. Both my parents did not go to college and my mom did not finish elementary school because of the cost of attending school in Vietnam back then. Even so, they encouraged and supported my siblings and I to have a good education. They worked hard to blend in with us and never wanted us to feel left out. They never pushed us to only do or eat Asian food, but allowed us to explore different things and whatever we liked. They kept their cultural roots with them inside of them and within our home.

This month is Asian American and Pacific Islander month and never have I been more proud and comfortable being both Vietnamese and Chinese. There is still a lot I want to explore and learn in this journey of self-discovery but I am enjoying every part of it because it makes me me. Thank you for joining me along this journey and supporting me as I share more of this side of me with you.

Now to these Teddy Bear Mantou (Steamed Buns). I used the same recipe for my other steamed buns and used vegan food coloring for the eyes and ears. If you are ready to make these Teddy Bear Mantou, let’s start baking!

Vegan Teddy Bear Mantou (Steamed Buns)

• Author: Helen Au
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 8-10
• Category: Sweets
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Chinese

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Description

These Vegan Teddy Bear Mantou require less than 10 ingredients to make and are great for breakfast or as a snack. They are fluffy and do not require proofing time.

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Ingredients

-300g (2 cups) bread flour
-30g (2 tbsp) cane sugar
-1 tsp (3g) active dry yeast
-225 ml (1 ¼ cup) full-fat, coconut milk
-1 tsp (6g) coconut oil, melted
-Vegan Food Coloring: black

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Instructions

1. Add the flour, sugar, and yeast to a large mixing bowl. Mix until well-combined.
2. Add in the coconut milk and knead the dough until smooth.
3. Divide the dough into eight 30g sized balls of dough. Then, divide the dough into eight 10g sized balls. Divide the remaining dough into thirds. Add 2 drops of black vegan food coloring to one dough and knead until all the colors are well combined. This will be the grey dough. If it is too light in color, add 1 drop at a time and continue to knead until a light grey color forms. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel.
4. Add 4-5 drops of the same black vegan food coloring to the other half of the dough. Knead until all the color is incorporated and the dough appears black. Add more of the black food coloring until you achieve the color you want. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel.
5. Dust a clean surface with flour. Take 1 of the 30g dough from the mixing bowl and roll into a circular shape. Take the 10g sized dough (this will be the body of the dough), roll into an oval shape, flatten and using a knife or bench scraper, slice a small 2cm line at the end of the dough. Lightly brush the bottom side of the 30g dough with some water. Attach the 10g dough to the larger dough.
6. Take two 1-2g small pieces of the reserved white dough and roll into an oval shape. Brush the sides of the larger dough with some water. Add the 2 white doughs to the upper right and left sides of the bottom of the larger dough, between the body and head (this will be the hands of the bear).
7. Take two pieces (~1-2g)  of the white dough and roll into a circle. Brush the top of the head with some water. Attach the 2 smaller white dough on top (this will be the ears). Repeat the step with the grey dough.
8. Repeat steps 5-7 for the remaining dough.
9. Add some water and the white vinegar to a large pan or pot. Bring to a boil. Add the steamer basket filled with the buns to the pan or pot. Lower the heat to medium and allow the buns to cook for 10 minutes. Once the dough is ready, be sure NOT to open the lid right away to prevent the cooked steamed buns’ skin from wrinkling. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes before lifting up the cover.
10. Serve and enjoy!

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Keywords: steamed buns, mantou, vegan bread, Chinese