East AsianBaked goods

Five-spice Seitan Baozi

Three pleated wholemeal baozi filled with glossy five-spice seitan, mushroom and cabbage, with cold smashed cucumber.

Eat nowMake-aheadContains gluten, soy
Hands-on36 minTotal time1 hr 57 minEnergy740 kcalProtein59g
Recipe details
PortableHeartyKitchen projectFreezer-friendly

Equipment: Hob, Grater, Steamer

Keep chilled after cooking

Five-Spice Seitan Baozi
Servings1 standard portionAdjust

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Standard portions

About 700 kcal per adult reference portion

Making 1 standard portion. Ingredients, instructions and Cooking Mode update together.

Doubling up barely adds effort and covers another mealtime.

Ingredients

Filling

Five spice

Cucumber crunch

Now we make

Method

Do the night before

  1. 1
    Defrost 120g cooked Homemade Seitan overnight in the fridge if using frozen

These steps sit outside the cooking-day clock.

36 min hands-on 1 hr 57 min altogether
  1. 2
    Mix 100g wholemeal bread flour, 2g instant yeast and 1 pinch salt. Stir in 72ml lukewarm soy milk, then knead for 6-7 minutes until soft, elastic and only slightly tacky
    πŸ– 7 min
  2. 3
    Cover and leave the dough somewhere comfortably warm for 45-60 minutes until visibly puffy and roughly one and a half times its original size
    πŸ– 1 minπŸ’€ 50 min unattended
  3. 4
    While it rises, finely chop Homemade Seitan. Brown it hard in a wide dry pan for 3 minutes, then remove. Finely chop 100g mushrooms and 100g green cabbage; cook them in the same pan for 5-6 minutes until their moisture has evaporated and the cabbage edges begin to colour
    πŸ– 8 min
  4. 5
    Finely slice 30g spring onion, grate 8g ginger and crush 1 clove garlic. Add them to the pan for 30 seconds, then return the seitan with 10ml soy sauce, 8g maple syrup and 8ml rice vinegar. Grind ΒΌ star anise very finely with 1 pinch cinnamon, 1 pinch cloves and 1 pinch black pepper, stir it in, then add 4g cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water. Cook until glossy and dry enough to mound
    πŸ– 4 min
  5. 6
    Spread the filling on a plate and cool completely. Divide the risen dough into 3 pieces, flatten each to a 13cm round with a thicker centre and place one equal share of the filling in the middle
    πŸ– 4 minπŸ’€ 10 min unattended
  6. 7
    Hold one dough edge between finger and thumb, then draw successive small sections into it to make pleats around the filling. Twist and pinch the gathered top firmly closed, then set each baozi on a square of baking paper.
    πŸ– 6 min
  7. 8
    Cover the baozi and rest for 15 minutes while bringing water to a steady simmer beneath a steamer basket, metal colander or rack that holds them clear of the water
    πŸ– 1 minπŸ’€ 13 min unattended
  8. 9
    Steam covered for 14 minutes without lifting the lid. Turn off the heat and wait 5 minutes before opening gradually.
    πŸ– 1 minπŸ’€ 19 min unattended
  9. 10
    While the baozi steam, smash 110g cucumber with the flat of a knife, tear into bite-sized pieces and toss with 10ml rice vinegar and a pinch of salt
    πŸ– 3 min
  10. 11
    Serve the three baozi warm with their pleated tops visible and the cold smashed cucumber alongside. Break one open at the table so the glossy five-spice seitan filling remains the reveal
    πŸ– 1 min

Look under the lid

Nutrition details

Nutrition is shown for one standard portion, not the whole batch selected above.

Explore full nutrition

Nutrition summary

At a glance

Higher inSeleniumVitamin KVitamin B2
Lower inVitamin AVitamin ECholine

Worth noticing: Sodium uses more than half of the daily limit in this portion.

Calories

740kcal

35%
Top contributors
Brown Bread Flour Β· 44%Homemade Seitan Β· 35%Mushrooms Β· 3%
32% cal

Protein

58.7g

93%
Top contributors
Homemade Seitan Β· 59%Brown Bread Flour Β· 23%Mushrooms Β· 5%
52% cal

Carbs

96.4g

Top contributors
Brown Bread Flour Β· 63%Homemade Seitan Β· 11%Green Cabbage Β· 5%
16% cal

Fat

13.3g

19%
Top contributors
Homemade Seitan Β· 66%Brown Bread Flour Β· 19%Soy Milk Β· 9%

Small numbers, big impact

Everyday essentials

Fibre18.80g
64%
Top contributors
Brown Bread Flour Β· 57%Green Cabbage Β· 13%Homemade Seitan Β· 10%
Vitamin B121.26ΞΌg
52%
Top contributors
Soy Milk Β· 71%Homemade Seitan Β· 26%Mushrooms Β· 3%
Vitamin D1.06ΞΌg
7%
Top contributors
Soy Milk Β· 81%Mushrooms Β· 19%
Iodine0.00ΞΌg
0%
Iron9.68mg
54%
Top contributors
Brown Bread Flour Β· 40%Homemade Seitan Β· 30%Mushrooms Β· 5%
Zinc5.11mg
46%
Top contributors
Brown Bread Flour Β· 57%Homemade Seitan Β· 12%Mushrooms Β· 10%
Calcium297.85mg
30%
Top contributors
Soy Milk Β· 30%Homemade Seitan Β· 24%Green Cabbage Β· 13%

Nutrients food alone won't reliably cover

These three are commonly under-consumed across all diets, not just plant-based ones - the difference is mainly B12, which has no whole plant food source at all.

  • Vitamin B12: is absent from whole plant foods entirely - the number above only reflects fortified ingredients (nutritional yeast, fortified soy milk). A reliable B12 supplement or fortified source is the standard recommendation for a fully plant-based diet, regardless of what any single day's total shows.
  • Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): most people fall short here regardless of diet - the typical omnivore diet doesn't include much oily fish either. This app only tracks ALA, the plant form (flax, walnuts, hemp, chia). The body converts some ALA to EPA and very little to DHA - the forms most directly used by the brain, eyes and heart - and that conversion is inefficient. An algae-oil supplement is the usual plant-based way to get EPA/DHA directly; it won't show up as an ingredient in any recipe here.
  • Vitamin D: deficiency is widespread across all diets, not just plant-based ones - it's mostly absent from whole plant foods here, and even the fortified soy milk and yogurt tracked don't cover the full target from food alone. Reasonable sun exposure or a D2/D3 supplement is the standard recommendation.

Not medical advice - if you're eating fully plant-based long-term, it's worth a conversation with a GP or dietitian, and a blood test is the reliable way to check where you actually stand.

See the full supplement guide (incl. creatine) β†’
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