Fried Mantou Slices (炸馒头)
This might be controversial to say in China, but I don’t really like mantou (馒头) - those big grapefruit-sized steamed buns. Similar to their cousin, baozi but without stuffing, and somewhat denser. They are a staple of the North, queues of old people line the streets of Beijing in the morning to pick up a bag or two. The older generation often ask me how many mantou I can eat, as they proclaim they could eat three, four or five when they were younger - a sign of vitality and strength. In my opinion, the best thing you can do with a mantou is wait a few days until it’s slightly stale, then slice it and fry it and sprinkle with sugar and salt. This is the Chinese version of that British greasy-spoon classic: fried bread, although I find it less oily and a better texture. I find British fried bread absorbs oil like a sponge, but mantou remains crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. This is yet another example of Chinese cooking using up the leftovers of the kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2large manto buns (a day or two old is better)
- 0.25 tspFine Sea Salt
- 0.25 tspgranulated sugar
- 3.88 tbspoil
Instructions
- 1
Slice the manto into thick slices about 2cm wide and set aside
- 2
Heat the oil (you might need a bit more or less depending on the size of the pan) in a wok over a medium heat. Test the oil is hot enough by dropping a tiny piece of manto into the oil; if it starts to bubble, it’s ready.
- 3
Carefully drop in the slices of manto into the oil. Watch the colour of the manto, if it’s browning too quickly, turn down the heat. After about a minute, with a slotted spoon, turn the sliced over so they brown on both sides.
- 4
Once cooked, remove from the oil with the slotted spoon into a kitchen-roll lined large bowl. Immediately add the salt and sugar and toss so the slices are evenly coated.
- 5
Serve when warm and crispy.