Bao Buns
Vivian Chan-Tam
92 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
92
2 hours 25 minutes
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Put the shallots in a small heatproof bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes to loosen the skins. Pour out the hot water, then refill the bowl with cold water to quickly cool the shallots. Drain in a colander.
Using a paring knife, cut off a bit of the stem end of a shallot. Working from the stem end, peel away the outer skin and dry-looking layers underneath. Separate any twin bulbs to fully remove the skin. Finally, cut away the root end, taking care to leave enough so the shallot won’t fall apart. Repeat with the remaining shallots.
In the bowl that held the shallots, stir the salt into 1 cup warm water until dissolved. Return the peeled shallots to the bowl. Let stand at room temperature, loosely covered, at least overnight or up to 24 hours to remove some of their harshness.
Drain the shallots and rinse well under cold running water. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and vinegar and bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the shallots. When the liquid returns to a simmer, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shallots to a pint jar. Pour in the hot brine to the rim. Weigh down the shallots with a small dish if they bob up. Let cool completely, uncovered, then cap and refrigerate.
Allow the shallots to mature for 5 days before serving (halve bigger ones, if you like). They will keep refrigerated for several weeks, though they are likely to be long gone by then.
A nice recipe. Practically every cuisine has a recipe for pickled alliums. Shallots (formerly labeled a separate species, but now considered a cultivar of the onion, Allium cepa) are tiny enough for the pickling liquid to penetrate fully over 5 days, but they can be substituted readily with regular onions simply by slicing the latter thinly. See cookieandkate.com/quick-pickled-onions-recipe for a similar, but spicier and less sweet, recipe.
Great recipe - I grew up with the canned & jarred versions but I'm not able to find the brands I liked so I'm glad for this recipe. I strongly recommend looking for these smaller shallots or pearl onions - part of the joy of eating them comes from the crunch of the whole (small) bulb and you lose that with sliced onions.
Sub these things (and a little brine) in for the olive in a martini to make a Gibson-absolutely delicious and beautiful!
Thanks so much for sharing this! We lived in Hanoi for several years and the pickled ones were a great accompaniment to fried banh trung - the North’s traditional Tet food.
Great recipe - I grew up with the canned & jarred versions but I'm not able to find the brands I liked so I'm glad for this recipe. I strongly recommend looking for these smaller shallots or pearl onions - part of the joy of eating them comes from the crunch of the whole (small) bulb and you lose that with sliced onions.
Would you say double the amount of salt if it's kosher salt i.e. Diamond Crystal? Or could you provide the weight/ratio for salt to water for the recipe? Thank you!
A nice recipe. Practically every cuisine has a recipe for pickled alliums. Shallots (formerly labeled a separate species, but now considered a cultivar of the onion, Allium cepa) are tiny enough for the pickling liquid to penetrate fully over 5 days, but they can be substituted readily with regular onions simply by slicing the latter thinly. See cookieandkate.com/quick-pickled-onions-recipe for a similar, but spicier and less sweet, recipe.
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