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Vegetarian, East Asian

Vegetable oyaki with broth

Vegetable oyaki with broth are Japanese stuffed buns filled with sauteed eggplant, mushrooms, and carrots seasoned with miso, served alongside a hot broth, for 4 people. It takes 55 minutes and a medium skill level, at €1.80 per serving. The key to success is a well cooled filling and dough pinched tightly shut before cooking.

Tonight we're making oyaki, those little stuffed buns from Nagano filled with miso sauteed vegetables, served with a hot bowl of broth.

Vegetable oyaki with broth
Total time
55 min
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€1.80
Calories per person
520 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall, Spring
The kids
They generally like it

Oyaki are the stuffed buns you won't find at your local bakery. Underneath a simple yeasted dough hides a vegetable filling seasoned with miso, which gives it that salty, slightly sweet umami flavor you won't find anywhere else. The texture plays on two notes, soft and golden on the outside from the pan, tender inside where the vegetables have slowly softened.

This is a dinner for when you have a bit of time ahead of you, more of a Sunday or an unhurried weeknight, since the dough needs time to rise. Kids usually love helping shape the dough balls and seal them shut, and the hot broth on the side makes the whole meal feel comforting, perfect for cool fall or winter evenings.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Flouroften in the pantry 400 g
  • Warm wateroften in the pantry 20 cl
  • Active dry yeastoften in the pantry 1 packet
  • Misooften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Soy sauceoften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Vegetable brothoften in the pantry 1 l
  • Neutral oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp

Fruits and vegetables

  • Eggplant 1
  • Button mushrooms 200 g
  • Carrots 2

Allergens Gluten, Soy

The step by step recipe

  1. Mix the flour, yeast, salt, and warm water, knead for 8 minutes, then let rise under a kitchen towel. 30 min

    A warm spot, near a radiator, cuts the rising time in half.

  2. Cut the eggplant, mushrooms, and carrots into small dice and saute them in a pan with a tablespoon of oil. 8 min

    Salt only at the end of cooking, the eggplant releases less water that way.

  3. Add the miso and soy sauce, mix well, and let cool.

    A cold filling won't soften the dough.

  4. Divide the dough into 8 balls, flatten them, fill with the vegetable mixture, and seal by pinching the edges together.

    Flatten the dough from the center outward, leaving the edges a bit thicker so they don't tear.

  5. Brown the oyaki in the remaining oil over low heat with the lid on, then serve with the hot broth. 12 min

    Flip them halfway through, the steam trapped in the pan cooks the dough all the way through.

Our tips to get it right

  • Drain the sauteed vegetables well before mixing in the miso, a filling that's too wet will make the dough soggy and harder to seal.
  • Flour your hands and the counter while shaping the dough balls, risen dough gets sticky fast and becomes tricky to pinch shut cleanly.
  • Keep the heat low and the pan covered the whole time, high heat browns the outside before the inside finishes cooking.

The variations

  • Swap the button mushrooms for sliced shiitake, their stronger flavor pairs well with the miso.
  • For a quicker version, use store bought pizza or bread dough already risen and skip straight to making the filling.
  • For kids who don't like chunky textures, roughly blend the vegetable filling before stuffing the oyaki.

What to serve it with

  • A bowl of hot vegetable broth
  • A tangy cucumber salad
  • Japanese green tea

Storage

Cooked oyaki keep for 2 days in the fridge in a sealed container. You can also freeze them raw, already shaped, and cook them straight from frozen with a slightly longer cooking time. Reheat cooked oyaki in a skillet over low heat rather than the microwave, the dough stays soft that way.

Questions about this dish

Can you make the dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the dough the day before and let it rise slowly in the fridge. Take it out an hour before shaping the oyaki so it comes back to room temperature.

What if the oyaki burst open while cooking?

This usually happens when the dough wasn't pinched firmly enough at the top. Always place the oyaki seam side down in the pan, the pressure from cooking helps seal the dough shut.

Can you substitute the miso if you don't have any?

Miso gives an umami flavor that's hard to replicate exactly, but you can swap it for a mix of soy sauce and a touch of sugar. The result will taste a bit less deep.

Do cooked oyaki freeze well?

Yes, let them cool completely then freeze them in an airtight bag. Reheat them in a skillet over low heat or in the oven, straight from frozen.

How long does it take to make vegetable oyaki with a side of broth?

Count 55 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in vegetable oyaki with a side of broth?

About 520 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does vegetable oyaki with a side of broth cost?

About €1.80 per serving, or €7.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, soy. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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