Pan-Fried Manto
炸馒头
This might be controversial to say in China, but I don’t really like manto (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 manto 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 manto 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 manto 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.
Serves 2 - 3
Ingredients
2 large manto buns (a day or two old is better)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup of oil
Method
Slice the manto into thick slices about 2cm wide and set aside
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.
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.
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.
Serve when warm and crispy.
