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Mantou 饅頭 - evidently steamed bun

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What is the divergence betwixt Chinese bao/baozi 包/包子 in addition to mantou 饅頭?
Boazi is bun alongside filling in addition to mantou is without filling. The discussion bao 包 in boazi agency 'wrap' thence it is obvious alongside filling.

Mantou 饅頭 is the staple carb for Northern Chinese to a greater extent than than rice, it is eaten at breakfast, tiffin in addition to dinner inward house of rice. Plain mantou's texture is unremarkably a chip chewy non similar Cantonese cha siu bao super white doughy soft cakey similar texture sweetness in addition to stick to your teeth.

Traditional mantou is really plain, white non much season in addition to unremarkably shaped similar a picayune pillow or only a apparently circular bun. Nowadays at that topographic point are hundreds of dissimilar flavoured mantou including adding vegetable juice similar spinach juice, carrot juice in addition to vegetable puree similar pumpkin, some occupation dissimilar flour similar cornmeal, wholemeal, millet, dark gummy rice flour etc..... For cuteness in addition to prettiness many mantou are shaped into animals or flowers (called bloom bun or hua juan 花卷) etc.. The alone constant in addition to never alter is mantou is without filling in addition to steamed. Flower bun is slightly dissimilar than apparently mantou it tin flame convey some boundary onion, vegetable or ham added to heighten the season in addition to these bits are kneaded alongside the dough non filled.

Normally mantou is eaten fresh guide later steaming. Because it is a staple nutrient for many Northerners, it is ever available in addition to leftover is unavoidable. Stale mantou tin flame move a chip tough in addition to people come upwards up alongside some cleaver ideas like:
  • deep fried mantou enhances the season in addition to texture, crisp in addition to nutty on the exterior in addition to soft inside. 
  • mantou tin flame move cutting into pieces in addition to stir fried alongside meat in addition to vegetable only similar rice in addition to noodles
  • mantou tin flame besides cutting into small-scale pieces in addition to add together to soup in addition to eaten similar soup noodles
  • sliced mantou dipped inward beaten egg thence fried alongside a picayune stone oil till golden is delicious.  
How to brand mantou? Very piece of cake if yous tin flame mix a dough yous tin flame brand mantou. For a criterion mantou all yous require is some flour, yeast, water, pinch of salt, saccharide in addition to a steamer. Plain flour mantou is softer in addition to staff of life flour mantou is chewier, both as good. If yous similar a pure white mantou occupation bleached flour.

This is a criterion apparently mantou recipe.

400g flour (plain flour or all role flour, staff of life flour or wholemeal)
1 tsp piece of cake blend or quick yeast
2 tsp baking powder
25 - 40g saccharide (if yous similar less sweetness buns occupation picayune sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
almost 200ml tepid water

a picayune dusting flour

Mix dry out ingredients together, piece of cake add together H2O in addition to start mixing till the dough is formed in addition to no to a greater extent than dry out flour. No require to knead correct away exit to residuum for fifteen - twenty minutes this way dough is less probable to stick to your hands. Then knead dough till smooth. No require to over knead or buns tin flame move quite chewy. Cover in addition to exit to proof for almost 45min - 1 hour. The dough does non require to expand to twice its size, some sign of swelling is ok. Then it is laid to shape into buns.

To shape the buns at that topographic point are iii criterion ways, start lightly dust working surface area alongside some dry out flour then 
  1. Simplest way is ringlet the dough into a thick sausage almost iii - 4cm thick thence cutting the log into iii - 4cm thick pieces. 
  2. Roll the dough out into a canvass almost around 35cm x 25cm x 0.5cm thick, really lightly brush the exceed layer of dough alongside water. Roll this canvass upwards into a log. Using both manus lightly ringlet the log to tighten in addition to stretch it to almost xl - 45cm long.  Cut the log into iii - 3.5cm thick pieces (about 10 - 12 pieces). This method of forming dough the resulting buns volition demo a spiral designing on the cutting sides.
  3. Take a chunk of dough almost golf game ball size in addition to ringlet it into a ball.


Once the bun is shaped. Line i or ii steamer trays alongside muslin stuff or perforated baking newspaper earlier putting the buns in, exit plenty infinite for buns to expand. Leave to residuum for 25 - xxx minutes. Heat steamer till boiling thence steam buns for almost xviii - twenty minutes at medium heat.These buns volition dandy upwards to 2 - 2.5 its master size. Do non opened upwards lid later steaming is done. Remove the steamer tray alongside the lid on in addition to cool buns for almost five - 10 minutes. Opening the lid before long later steaming the peel of the buns volition dry out chop-chop due to steam vaporisation from the surface.

These are some variations, add together a affect to a greater extent than H2O if the dough is dry.
  • replace H2O alongside vegetable juice or puree. 
  • Replace some of the flour alongside roasted in addition to terra firma sesame seeds, peanuts or other seeds
  • Replace 1/2 apparently flour alongside wholewheat flour, buckwheat flour, cornmeal etc.....
  • Replace some flour alongside cocoa powder