Fried and Steamed Mantou with Condensed Milk

another dish that I miss from my time in China, probably not the healthiest dessert one can have but it is pretty good.

Recipe from the Woks of life cookbook

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp active dry yeast/ 17g fresh yeast

  • 2 tbs (25g) sugar

  • scant 3/4 cup (170g) lukewarm water

  • 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

  • Neutral oil, for frying

  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the dough: Dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in the lukewarm water. Let sit for 15 minutes until foamy.

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or a large bowl), add the flour, baking powder, the remaining tablespoon of sugar and the salt. Stir on low speed (or by hand using a rubber spatula) to combine, and then gradually add the yeast mixture.

  3. When the dough comes together, knead on low speed for 20 minutes, periodically stopping the mixer and pressing the dough together if needed (or knead by hand for the same amount of time). The dough should be smooth and elastic, and not sticky or tacky. If it is sticking to the bowl, mix in up to 2 tablespoons of additional flour a little at a time until the dough forms a smooth bowl.

  4. Shape the mantou: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead by hand until smooth. Then, roll the dough into a 16-inch rope with even thickness.

  5. Trim about 1 inch off each end of the rope. Divide the dough in half crosswise, divide each half in half again, and then divide each quarter into 4 equal pieces for a total of 16 pieces. If you need to, gently reshape the mantou so the cut corners don’t stick out. The pieces should be smooth on the cut sides, with minimal air bubbles. Lastly, combine the two end pieces (that you trimmed off earlier) into a spare mantou.

  6. Proof the mantou: Line two bamboo steamer racks with perforated parchment paper and place the dough pieces in the steamers about 1.5 inches apart. (alternatively, cut individual 2 by 3 parchment paper rectangels to place the buns on). Cover and allow the buns to proof in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

  7. Steam the mantou: fill a wok with enough water to submerge the bottom rim of your bamboo steamer by 1/2 inch. Bring the water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Place the covered bamboo steamer racks in the wok and steam for 8 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let the buns rest in the steamer with the lid on for another 5 minutes. Do not uncover the lid at any point during this steaming and resting process.

  8. After 5 minutes, remove half the buns for frying and let them cool, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature while you prepare the frying oil. (The other half of the mantou should be kept in the covered steamer to keep them from drying out).

  9. Fry the mantou and serve: Set a wire cooling rack over a sheet pan or line a plate with paper towels. Fill a small pot with 2 to 3 inches of the oil. Place the pot over medium-high heat and heat the oil until it reaches 350F on an instant-read thermometer, then reduce the heat to medium to maintain the temperature.

  10. fry the mantou in batches of 2 to 3 at a time, for 5 to 7 minutes, until they’re an even golden brown. Keep drying, letting the temperature gradually return to 350F and turning the mantou often. If the mantou crust darkens quickly and becomes bubble, the oil is too hot.

  11. transfer the fried mantou to the wire rack or plate to drain. repeat with the remaining mantou.

  12. let the fried mantou cool slightly. serve the mantou (steamed and fried) with the condense milk for dipping, as desired, and enjoy!

I was actually surprised on how easy this was to make, it does help when you have a kitchen aid with a dough hook, the hard work of kneading is taken care of. I actually only made half of the recipe but it was plenty enough for the first try. I like eating my mantou both savory and sweet, for the steamed mantous I like to eat them with a little butter and then some pork or fish floss. The fried ones I like to dip them in the condensed milk, not the healthiest of desserts, it is almost sinful to eat. I will definitely be making this again, making the full recipe and freezing some of them to then have them on hand when I want to eat them later.

dessert, chineseJackie Wongmantou, condensed milk, fried, steamedComment