Sloppy Joe Baos

A pot of Asian bolognese sits in the fridge. I make way too much. Even after a generous helping over noodles, there's enough for lunch. I just have to figure how to to make it stretch. A search in the freezer reveals frozen baos. I usually stuff steamed baos with pork belly or roasted beef.  Now I'm going out on a limb by filling them with the meat sauce. 

My ready-to-heat meat sauce is easy to make. Some onions, garlic, ginger, ground beef or pork, kecap manis, chili garlic paste, Sriracha and tomato ketchup bubble and brew into one thick sauce. Steamed baos will make a messy receptacle. All it takes is a few adornments to morph into a delicious lunch.

SLOPPY JOE BAOS

Makes 12 baos

1 lb ground Beef or Pork

1 tablespoon Canola Oil

1 Onion

1 teaspoon Garlic paste

1 teaspoon Ginger paste

2 teaspoons Chile Garlic paste

1 tablespoon Kecap Manis

1 teaspoon Sriracha 

3 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup 

2 teaspoons Soy Sauce

Sriracha

Cilantro 

12 frozen Baos 

Peel and chop onion finely.

Heat canola oil in a saucepan.

Add onion to hot oil and saute till golden brown.

Add garlic and ginger pastes and saute for 20 seconds.

Crumble ground meat into onto onions. Use a spoon to break up meat into small pieces. Saute for 5-7 minutes until meat turns dark brown. 

Add kecap manis, chile garlic paste, Sriracha, ketchup and soy sauce to meat. Stir well to let sauces mix. Cover saucepan and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

While the meat cooks, steam the buns.

Pour water into a wide saucepan up to an inch. Bring water to a boil over a high flame.

Place a steamer basket in the pan. 

Line steamer with wax paper.

Arrange 5-6 baos on wax paper. Cover and steam for 15 minutes. Baos should be soft and springy to touch. Repeat with the rest of the baos.

Assemble by filling the bao with a heaping tablespoon of meat sauce. Sauce will spill out.

Tuck a few cilantro leaves into bao.

Squirt Sriracha as desired over meat.

Enjoy the flavors!

Both hands are needed and a napkin as well. It is downright messy eating. But so very gratifying. Mouths tingle with sweet, spicy and meaty sensations. Leftovers or fresh beginnings, the meat sauce and buns bring it on.

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