We love a delicious bao dish, how bao you? Filled with juicy slices of 5-spice duck, pickled cucumber matchsticks & red cabbage, as well as a sweet & sticky plum sauce, these fluffy bao buns are sure to make you say bao chicka bao wow!
Leopard’s Leap Plum Duck Bao
Leopard’s Leap Plum Duck Bao
with pickled cucumber & red cabbage
Hands on Time: 15 - 30 minutes
Overall Time: 30 - 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- Bao Buns
- Black Sesame Seeds
- Cabbage
- Chinese 5-Spice
- Cucumber
- Free-range Duck Breast
- Free-range Duck Breasts
- Plum Sauce
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Spring Onion
- Spring Onions
From your kitchen:
- Oil (cooking, olive or coconut)
- Salt & Pepper
- Water
- Sugar/Sweetener/Honey
- Paper Towel
OPEN SESAME
Place the sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat. Toast for 2-4 minutes until they begin to pop, shifting occasionally. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
ZINGY SLAW
In a bowl, combine the vinegar, a sweetener of choice (to taste), and 5ml water. Add the sliced cabbage, the cucumber matchsticks, and the sliced white spring onions. Set aside to pickle.
GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW
Boil the kettle. Pat the duck breast dry with paper towel. Using a sharp knife, score the skin by cutting slits into its surface down the length of the breast in a broad, cross-hatch pattern. Take care not to go too deep and pierce the flesh. Season lightly.
THE BIG 5
Place a pot over medium-high heat with 3-4cm of boiling water covering the base for Step 3. Return the pan to a medium heat with the duck breast, skin-side down, without oil (the duck breast will render its own fat). Let the duck fat render while the pan heats up, occasionally pouring out the excess fat. Fry for 8-10 minutes until the skin is crispy. Turn up the heat to medium-high, flip the duck breast, and cook for 2-4 minutes on the other side (for a medium-rare result.) In the final 1-2 minutes, baste the duck breast with the Chinese 5-spice. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
NICE BUNS
Once the water in the pot is steaming, place the bao buns in a colander over the pot. Cover and allow to steam for 5-6 minutes until cooked through and soft. Alternatively, use a steamer if you have one. Once cool enough to handle, use a knife to gently open each bun. Drain the pickling liquid from the cabbage & cucumber.
TAKE A BAO
Fill each bao bun with the pickled cabbage & cucumber. Top with the flavourful duck slices drizzled with the plum sauce. Sprinkle over the spring onion greens and the toasted sesame seeds. Serve any remaining pickled veg on the side. Bao-tiful, Chef!
Black Sesame Seeds - 5ml
Rice Wine Vinegar - 10ml
Cabbage - 100g
Cucumber - 50g
Spring Onion - 1
Free-range Duck Breast - 1
Chinese 5-Spice - 5ml
Bao Buns - 2
Plum Sauce - 20ml
OPEN SESAME
Place the sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat. Toast for 2-4 minutes until they begin to pop, shifting occasionally. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
ZINGY SLAW
In a bowl, combine the vinegar, a sweetener of choice (to taste), and 10ml water. Add the sliced cabbage, the cucumber matchsticks, and the sliced white spring onions. Set aside to pickle.
GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW
Boil the kettle. Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towel. Using a sharp knife, score the skin by cutting slits into its surface down the length of the breasts in a broad, cross-hatch pattern. Take care not to go too deep and pierce the flesh. Season lightly.
THE BIG 5
Place a pot over medium-high heat with 3-4cm of boiling water covering the base for Step 3. Return the pan to a medium heat with the duck breasts, skin-side down, without oil (the duck breasts will render their own fat). Let the duck fat render while the pan heats up, occasionally pouring out the excess fat. Fry for 8-10 minutes until the skin is crispy. Turn up the heat to medium-high, flip the duck breasts, and cook for 2-4 minutes on the other side (for a medium-rare result.) In the final 1-2 minutes, baste the duck breasts with the Chinese 5-spice. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
NICE BUNS
Once the water in the pot is steaming, place the bao buns in a colander over the pot. Cover and allow to steam for 5-6 minutes until cooked through and soft. Alternatively, use a steamer if you have one. Once cool enough to handle, use a knife to gently open each bun. Drain the pickling liquid from the cabbage & cucumber.
TAKE A BAO
Fill each bao bun with the pickled cabbage & cucumber. Top with the flavourful duck slices drizzled with the plum sauce. Sprinkle over the spring onion greens and the toasted sesame seeds. Serve any remaining pickled veg on the side. Bao-tiful, Chef!
Black Sesame Seeds - 10ml
Rice Wine Vinegar - 20ml
Cabbage - 200g
Cucumber - 100g
Spring Onion - 1
Free-range Duck Breasts - 2
Chinese 5-Spice - 10ml
Bao Buns - 4
Plum Sauce - 40ml
OPEN SESAME
Place the sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat. Toast for 2-4 minutes until they begin to pop, shifting occasionally. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
ZINGY SLAW
In a bowl, combine the vinegar, a sweetener of choice (to taste), and 15ml water. Add the sliced cabbage, the cucumber matchsticks, and the sliced white spring onions. Set aside to pickle.
GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW
Boil the kettle. Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towel. Using a sharp knife, score the skin by cutting slits into its surface down the length of the breasts in a broad, cross-hatch pattern. Take care not to go too deep and pierce the flesh. Season lightly.
THE BIG 5
Place a pot over medium-high heat with 3-4cm of boiling water covering the base for Step 3. Return the pan to a medium heat with the duck breasts, skin-side down, without oil (the duck breasts will render their own fat). Let the duck fat render while the pan heats up, occasionally pouring out the excess fat. Fry for 8-10 minutes until the skin is crispy. Turn up the heat to medium-high, flip the duck breasts, and cook for 2-4 minutes on the other side (for a medium-rare result.) In the final 1-2 minutes, baste the duck breasts with the Chinese 5-spice. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
NICE BUNS
Once the water in the pot is steaming, place the bao buns in a colander over the pot. Cover and allow to steam for 5-6 minutes until cooked through and soft. Alternatively, use a steamer if you have one. You may need to do this step in batches. Once cool enough to handle, use a knife to gently open each bun. Drain the pickling liquid from the cabbage & cucumber.
TAKE A BAO
Fill each bao bun with the pickled cabbage & cucumber. Top with the flavourful duck slices drizzled with the plum sauce. Sprinkle over the spring onion greens and the toasted sesame seeds. Serve any remaining pickled veg on the side. Bao-tiful, Chef!
Black Sesame Seeds - 15ml
Rice Wine Vinegar - 30ml
Cabbage - 300g
Cucumber - 150g
Spring Onions - 2
Free-range Duck Breasts - 3
Chinese 5-Spice - 15ml
Bao Buns - 6
Plum Sauce - 60ml
OPEN SESAME
Place the sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat. Toast for 2-4 minutes until they begin to pop, shifting occasionally. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
ZINGY SLAW
In a bowl, combine the vinegar, a sweetener of choice (to taste), and 20ml water. Add the sliced cabbage, the cucumber matchsticks, and the sliced white spring onions. Set aside to pickle.
GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW
Boil the kettle. Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towel. Using a sharp knife, score the skin by cutting slits into its surface down the length of the breasts in a broad, cross-hatch pattern. Take care not to go too deep and pierce the flesh. Season lightly.
THE BIG 5
Place a pot over medium-high heat with 3-4cm of boiling water covering the base for Step 3. Return the pan to a medium heat with the duck breasts, skin-side down, without oil (the duck breasts will render their own fat). Let the duck fat render while the pan heats up, occasionally pouring out the excess fat. Fry for 8-10 minutes until the skin is crispy. Turn up the heat to medium-high, flip the duck breasts, and cook for 2-4 minutes on the other side (for a medium-rare result.) In the final 1-2 minutes, baste the duck breasts with the Chinese 5-spice. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
NICE BUNS
Once the water in the pot is steaming, place the bao buns in a colander over the pot. Cover and allow to steam for 5-6 minutes until cooked through and soft. Alternatively, use a steamer if you have one. You may need to do this step in batches. Once cool enough to handle, use a knife to gently open each bun. Drain the pickling liquid from the cabbage & cucumber.
TAKE A BAO
Fill each bao bun with the pickled cabbage & cucumber. Top with the flavourful duck slices drizzled with the plum sauce. Sprinkle over the spring onion greens and the toasted sesame seeds. Serve any remaining pickled veg on the side. Bao-tiful, Chef!
Black Sesame Seeds - 20ml
Rice Wine Vinegar - 40ml
Cabbage - 400g
Cucumber - 200g
Spring Onions - 2
Free-range Duck Breasts - 4
Chinese 5-Spice - 20ml
Bao Buns - 8
Plum Sauce - 80ml
Woolies Products in this dish
