1. Make the Bun Dough. Place all dry dough ingredients into the bowl of a large stand mixer. Start the mixer on low, then gradually add the water and oil. About 3 minutes in, the shaggy dough should come together to form a ball. If it does not, add 1-2 Tbsp of water until the dough comes together. Let the dough continue to mix on low for 10 minutes, until you get a soft and supple ball of dough.

2. Lightly spray a large bowl with non-stick spray, coating the top surface of the dough with some of the same oil. Place the dough ball in the large bowl, then cover it with plastic wrap and place it in a draft free place to rise until almost doubled in volume.

3. Make the Filling. Place a wok on high heat. Add the cooking oil, then wait for it to shimmer. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, bamboo and tofu, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sugar and pepper to the mix, continuing to cook on high. Add the rice wine, then let it cook out. Add the cabbage and stir-fry until wilted, about 2 minutes. Finally, mix in the hoisin sauce and sesame oil. Take the mix off the heat and transfer to a plate to cool completely.

4. Form the Buns. After the first rise, take the dough out onto a work surface. Portion it out into 10 equal pieces. Shape each dough piece into a ball, then flatten each ball into a disk about 3 1/2″ in diameter and fill it with 1 Tbsp of the filling. Gather the edges of the flattened dough disk, pinching them together to seal. Flip the filled dough ball over, then roll it into a ball . Roll the ball into a slight oval. Place this shaped bun on a small square of parchment paper.

5. Steam the Buns. Shape a total of 10 buns, placing them at least 1″ apart in the steamer. Cover the steamer and let the buns rise for about 15 minutes, until just slightly puffy. Meanwhile, boil some water in a wok or stockpot so that the water is at least 2″ deep in the pot. Steam the buns for 12 minutes over water at a full boil. After the buns have finished steaming, let them slightly cool before decorating.

6. Create the Pandas. Punch out a large heart. Cut it in half so that there are 2 equal half-hearts. Use scissors to round out the shorter end to make 2 panda eyes. Now punch out another large heart. Cut it in half so that there are 2 equal half-hearts. Use scissors to cut out 2 “D” shaped panda ears. Finally, use the small heart paper punch (or a regular hole punch) to punch out a nose. Attach pieces of cut nori atop the buns. The residual steam on the surface of the buns should help the nori to adhere. If not, use light dabs of water to affix the nori pieces. Happy Earth Day 2017!