Mantou

Mantou is a kind of Chinese steamed bun. It is one of the daily staple foods of the Chinese.

What is mantou

Mantou is made by wheat flour, yeast and water, or edible alkali. It is usually a hemispherical or rectangular shape, and can also be made into a favorite shape according to preferences.

It is soft, delicious and rich in nutrition. Easy to digest and absorb. And also easy to make and carry. The main nutrient is carbohydrate, which is the basic food for people to supplement energy.

Story of Mantou

It is said, during the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shu Kingdom led an army to encounter a river that is too rapid to cross. According to the custom of the local barbarian, 50 human heads need to be sacrificed to the god of River .

But Zhuge Liang couldn’t bear to kill innocent lives. In the end, he throws steamed buns (Instead of barbarian’s heads) into the river sacrificed to the  god of River and the souls of soldiers and success across the river. So he named this steamed bun as Mantou. It originated from the homophonous word mántóu, which literally means “barbarian’s head”.

How to know Mantou is steamed

(1) Tapping the buns with your hands and it is flexible if the mantou is steamed.
(2) Tear the skin of a hoe, if it can be peeled off if the mantou is steamed.
(3) After pressing the hoe with your finger, the pit will soon be flattened. Otherwise, the mantou is not steamed yet.

Mantou recipe

You’ll need:

300g Medium-gluten flour
3g yeast
30g sugar
50g condensed milk
140g clear water

How to make mantou

1. Sieve flour into a bowl, add sugar and stir with chopsticks. Mix the yeast with a little clear water in a bowl. Then pour it into flour. Add a small amount of water and condensed milk to the flour several times while stirring. .Knead the flour into dough by hand, then cover it with a lid and ferment it to 2 times in a 26 Celsius place.

2. Sprinkle some dry flour on the workbench and knead the dough into a smooth and air-free state. Then divide the dough into two doughs and roll the doughs with a rolling pin. Brush a layer of water on the surface of the doughs, roll it up from one side of the dough sheet, roll it into strips, and length it from the middle to the sides. The other dough is also rolled into a long strip.

3. Cut the doughs strip into small pieces of about 30-40 grams. Then put it in a steamer with steamer paper.

4. Cover the lid and wait 15-20 minutes. Heat a wok with water and cook until boiling. Put the steamer in the wok and steam it under the middle heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the fire and wait for 3 minutes. Serve.

Mantou

Mantou is a kind of Chinese steamed bun. It is one of the daily staple foods of the Chinese.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4

Calories 299 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 300g Medium-gluten flour
• 3g yeast
• 30g sugar
• 50g condensed milk
• 140g clear water

Instructions

 

• Sieve flour into a bowl, add sugar and stir with chopsticks. Mix the yeast with a little clear water in a bowl. Then pour it into flour. Add a small amount of water and condensed milk to the flour several times while stirring. .Knead the flour into dough by hand, then cover it with a lid and ferment it to 2 times in a 26 Celsius place.
• Sprinkle some dry flour on the workbench and knead the dough into a smooth and air-free state. Then divide the dough into two doughs and roll the doughs with a rolling pin. Brush a layer of water on the surface of the doughs, roll it up from one side of the dough sheet, roll it into strips, and length it from the middle to the sides. The other dough is also rolled into a long strip.
• Cut the doughs strip into small pieces of about 30-40 grams. Then put it in a steamer with steamer paper.
• Cover the lid and wait 15-20 minutes. Heat a wok with water and cook until boiling. Put the steamer in the wok and steam it under the middle heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the fire and wait for 3 minutes. Serve.

Keyword Mantou