044 / 75 · A Vegetable-Led Table

Steamed Mushroom and Carrot Pudding

1 steamed pastry pudding cut into 4 wedges, with 70 g peas per person · Active 50 min · Total 3 hr

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A bowl-steamed pastry pudding feels generous even when its filling is built from ordinary mushrooms, carrots and onion. The thin oil-based pastry encloses a thick vegetable gravy, while peas served alongside make four full plates. This is a longer project for a day at home, with most of the final cooking happening under a lid.

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Hand-drawn steamed mushroom and carrot pastry pudding with an open wedge and a side of peas.

A thick filling protects the pastry

Mushrooms release water before they brown, so give them room and keep cooking after the pan first looks wet. Add carrots and stock only once that moisture has reduced. The finished filling should hold together on a spoon rather than pour like soup. Let it cool before it enters the pastry shell; a hot, thin filling softens the lining while you are trying to fit the lid.

Measure the bowl before starting

Use a heatproof two-liter pudding bowl that fits inside your deep pot with room for a rack underneath and a lid above. The bowl must be designed for steaming, not simply a decorative serving bowl. Roll both pastry pieces about one-eighth of an inch thick and ease it into the curve instead of stretching it. A small patch is fine if you accidentally tear it; press the edges together so gravy does not escape through a hole.

Keep a gentle, attended steam

The covered bowl sits above the pot base, with water reaching halfway up its sides. Check the water regularly and add boiling water before the level runs low. Do not leave the house while it cooks. After steaming, let the pudding settle briefly, then open the cover away from your face. Turning it out is easiest with a rimmed plate and two dry oven mitts; cutting it directly from the bowl is also perfectly acceptable.

Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons neutral oil for filling and bowl (20 ml total), divided: 1 tablespoon/15 ml for filling and 1 teaspoon/5 ml for bowl
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped (150 g prepared)
  • About 5 cups sliced ordinary mushrooms (400 g)
  • 3 medium carrots, diced 1/3 inch/8 mm (300 g prepared)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for filling (20 g)
  • 1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (360 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon standard soy sauce (15 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme (1 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (1 g)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour for pastry (240 g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder (4 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (3 g)
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil for pastry (60 ml)
  • About 7 tablespoons cold water for pastry (100 ml)
  • 2 cups frozen peas (280 g)
  • About 8 cups water for steaming (2 L), plus additional boiling water as required
  • 1/4 cup water for peas (60 ml)

Set out

2-quart/2 L heatproof bowl specifically suitable for steaming, deep 8-quart/8 L lidded pot large enough for bowl and rack, trivet or rack, large skillet, mixing bowl, rolling pin, baking paper, foil and kitchen string, kettle for boiling top-up water, dry oven mitts, food thermometer

Allergens

wheat, soy. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat the filling oil, 15 ml, in the skillet over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring, until released liquid has largely evaporated. Add carrots and the 20 g filling flour and stir for 1 minute.
  2. Gradually add stock, then soy sauce, thyme and pepper. Simmer for 10–12 minutes, stirring, until the carrots are nearly tender and the gravy is thick enough to sit on a spoon. Spread in a shallow dish and cool for about 20 minutes while preparing the pastry and steaming pot.
  3. Grease the heatproof bowl with the measured 5 ml oil. Mix 240 g pastry flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in 60 ml pastry oil and 100 ml cold water to make a soft but handleable dough; knead briefly just until joined. Divide into a three-quarter piece for the bowl and one-quarter piece for its lid.
  4. Roll the larger piece between sheets of baking paper about 1/8 inch/3 mm thick, large enough to line the bowl to its rim. Ease it into the bowl without stretching, patching any tears. Spoon in the cooled filling, leaving at least 1 inch/2.5 cm headroom. Roll the small piece about 1/8 inch/3 mm thick into a lid, dampen the pastry rim with a wet finger, add the lid and pinch the seam closed.
  5. Cover with a pleated sheet of baking paper and then foil, allowing room above the pastry. Tie securely around the bowl rim. Set on a trivet in the deep pot. Add boiling water to halfway up the bowl, about 2 L depending on pot shape; water must not reach the foil edge. Cover the pot and keep a gentle steady simmer for 90 minutes. Check every 20 minutes and top up with boiling water to keep the same level.
  6. The pastry should be set, with no sticky raw flour layer, and the center of the filling at least 165°F/74°C; carefully open a small area to check, resealing and steaming longer if needed. Rest 10 minutes. During the rest, heat peas with their 60 ml water in a covered small pan for 4–5 minutes until cooked; drain.
  7. Open the pudding away from your face. Loosen around the top edge and carefully turn onto a rimmed plate using dry oven mitts, or cut and spoon wedges directly from the bowl. Divide into 4 portions and serve with all the peas.

Time rather than expensive filling

The meal uses common mushrooms and a homemade oil pastry. Choose it when the long steaming period suits your day rather than treating it as a quick weeknight supper.

Ingredient labels

Standard soy sauce normally contains wheat. Check stock and baking powder labels for additional allergens.

A useful detail

This recipe needs an attended steaming period and a bowl that fits your pot safely. The total includes filling preparation, a cooling period, 90 minutes of steaming and a 10-minute rest.

Another way

  • Replace 150 g of the mushrooms with 150 g finely diced celery, cooking until tender in the filling. The flavor and allergen profile change.
  • Use 280 g frozen green beans instead of peas, cooking separately according to their package.

Keep it well

Divide leftovers into shallow portions rather than refrigerating the whole warm bowl. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, and keep at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed to 165°F/74°C throughout; covered oven reheating protects the pastry better than a dry uncovered heat.