Mongolian Lamb Bao

Wow – look at this Bao! This ultimate foodie trend is a must on your recipe repertoire.

There's nothing better than a delicious, juicy steak fresh off the BBQ. This spring, make lamb steaks your go-to; the tender and flavoursome meat will be the hero your next meal and every one after.

Available in a variety of cuts including leg and rump, lamb steaks are perfect for the BBQ, pan-frying or stir-frying.

The versatility of this cut makes it the best choice for a range of recipes – from your simple BBQ grill to gourmet crowd-pleasers. Australian Lamb has created five recipes to tickle your tastebuds including Greek lamb and feta tacos, Mongolian lamb bao and Chilean marinated lamb that are guaranteed to satisfy at any meal occasion, big or small.

Serves: 4
Preparation: 1.5 hours
Cooking: 20 minutes

Ingredients
500g lamb leg steaks, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
1/4 small red cabbage, shredded
1 Lebanese cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1/2 nashi or firm green pear, cut into matchsticks
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Japanese mayonnaise
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
75g Mongolian paste
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cornflour

Coriander sprigs, to serve

Bao buns
300ml warm water
50g potato starch
7g sachet dry yeast
2 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
450g white bread flour

Method

For the Bao
Place warm water in a large bowl and whisk in the potato starch, yeast and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar until dissolved. Add the flour and mix until a dough forms.
Cover and set aside for 10 minutes then lightly knead the dough until smooth. Repeat this process twice more, then divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Cover and leave for a further 10 minutes.
Roll each ball into a disc about 1cm thick with a little flour, brush the top of each disc lightly with oil then fold in half. Sit each disc on a piece of baking paper, dust lightly with flour, cover loosely and set aside until doubled in size (approx. 45-50 minutes).

For the filling
To make coleslaw, combine the cabbage, cucumber, pear and green onions in a bowl. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Sriracha and lime juice and stir to combine. Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise to the coleslaw, season and toss to coat.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a hot non-stick wok, cook lamb strips in batches till browned. Remove from wok and set aside.
Add a little more oil and garlic, ginger and red onion to wok; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Reduce heat, stir in Mongolian paste, and cook for a further minute. Combine brown sugar, cornflour and 1/4 cup water, add to wok and stir until boiling. Return lamb to wok, toss well to heat through and season.

To finish
Heat a large steamer over a large saucepan of simmering water. Steam the buns, in batches, for 8 minutes until puffed up.
Prise open each bun and fill with lamb mixture, and coleslaw. Serve with remaining Sriracha mayonnaise and coriander sprigs.
Tips:
If you're short on time you can buy ready-to-go bao buns in most Asian supermarkets. Using pre-diced lamb instead of lamb steaks is another way you can speed up the process
Mongolian paste is available in the Asian section of supermarkets or at Asian grocers or can be substituted for black bean sauce. Japanese (Kewpie) mayonnaise can also be found here
Any type of cabbage, carrot or radish would work well in the coleslaw, for feel free to choose your preference.

Visit Australian Lamb for more recipe inspiration.