Fried mantou with condensed milk….THIS IS MY NEW FAVOURITE SNACK.
I tried this recently for the first time, all I did was fry some frozen mantou. It was so warm and crispy, and the condensed milk made it so nice and sweet. I loved it.
So I decided I need to learn how to make it from scratch!
Video Tutorial
What is mantou?
I’m assuming if you clicked on this recipe, you probably already know what mantou is.
But in case you don’t know what it is, I actually had no idea what it was until recently. I learnt about it through TikTok.
To put it simply, mantou is a Chinese steamed buns. But they’re not your regular degular buns. Due to them being steamed, they end up so soft, fluffy and pillowy.
The basic ingredients for mantou are flour, yeast and water, but I did add a few more ingredients!
Deep fried mantou
For this recipe, we’re not stopping after the buns have been steamed.
After they’ve been steamed, we’re going to fry them until golden and then you want to serve them hot, with some sweetened condensed milk.
I had seen so many video of people eating fried mantou with condensed milk. I understand why people like it now.
The crispiness, the fluffiness, the warmth and the sweetness from the condensed milk make this an amazing, easy to make snack/dessert!
Ingredients for the mantou
Here are the ingredients you are going to need to make the mantou dough:
- Plain flour – also known as all-purpose flour.
- Granulated sugar – caster sugar works too. Typically sugar isn’t added, it is optional, but I wanted to add a little sweetness to the dough.
- Salt – to help enhance the flavours.
- Instant yeast – to make the buns rise.
- Whole milk – water is typically used, but I used milk for a little extra richness. Warm this milk for about 30 seconds before using it. You want it to be a little warm, NOT HOT, it should just feel slightly warm if you put your finger into it.
Instant yeast or active yeast
I always prefer to use instant yeast. I just find it easier to use because I can add it straight into the bowl with the other ingredients.
However, if you only have, or can only find active yeast, that works too.
But if you are using active yeast, you are going to need to activate it first.
To do this, just add it into the warm milk and give this a stir, then leave this aside for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, it should look a little foamy, that’s when it is ready to use. Just add into your bowl with the other ingredients.
Forming the shapes
Mantou is new to me, so I watched quite a few videos to see how to form the shapes.
I saw 2 different ways people formed them. Some people got the dough, formed it into a log, then cut it into pieces.
Some people rolled the dough into a rectangle, then rolled this rectangle into a log, the same way you would roll a cinnamon roll. Then they cut this log into pieces.
I tried both ways, I liked the second way better. I feel like this way gave buns that were a little fluffier.
Here’s how to form the shapes:
- Roll the dough out into a rectangle – you want to do this on a lightly floured surface. The exact size of the rectangle doesn’t really matter, but mine was 25cm x 40cm.
- Roll this rectangle into log – just like you would with a cinnamon roll, roll this dough into a log. I recommend rolling it from the short size, this will give you taller, thicker buns.
- Cut this log into pieces – you can cut your dough into whatever size you want. I cut mine into 4cm pieces. But if you want smaller mantou, you can cut smaller pieces. Just remember that they will have to be steamed for less time if they’re smaller.
- Leave the buns to rise – after the shapes have been cut, add them into your steamer, cover them and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. After 1 hour, they don’t need to have doubled in size, they should just look puffier and feel softer when your poke them.
Frying the buns
Do you need to fry these buns…no not at all. These do taste amazing on their own.
But if you want that extra crispiness, frying is the way to go.
You want to fry them in oil that is at 180c/350f. Just until they’re golden brown on both sides. Since the bread is already cooked, there is no exact cooking time. We are just frying the buns until they’re crispy.
If you don’t have a thermometer THAT’S OK DON’T WORRY. I also don’t have one.
Instead I just heated the oil for a bit, then I added 1 bun into it. If this bun starts gently bubbling, the oil is ready, you can add more.
If the bun isn’t bubbling, the oil needs some more time.
You want the buns to be gently bubbling throughout the whole frying process, if at any point they start aggressively bubbling, lower the heat or even turn it off for a few minutes.
Storing these
So I wanted to mention, it’s best to eat these whiles they’re hot and crispy. They taste best after freshly being fried.
If you feel like you might not eat them all at once, you could freeze the extra buns.
To do this, steam your buns then let them cool. Once cooled add them into an air-tight container, or freezer bag, and throw into your freezer. They can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you want them, just take them out of the freezer and fry!
Here are some other recipes that I posted recently, I think you should try these too:
Fried Mantou
with Condensed Milk
Ingredients
Makes: 5-6
- For the mantou dough:
340g plain flour
50g granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6g instant yeast
220ml whole milk, warm (just heat it in your microwave for 30 seconds)
- Extras:
Vegetable oil for frying, or just any flavourless oil
Plus some condensed milk
Directions
- Making the dough:
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the dough. Mix all this together until a dough forms, then knead this for around 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth but slightly sticky.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll this dough out into a large rectangle that is around 25cm x 40cm.
- From the short side of the rectangle, roll this up into a log. Cut this log up into 4cm pieces.
- Place these pieces into your steamer, then add the lid and leave these to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. After 1 hour they should look puffier and feel softer when you gently poke them.
- Steaming the buns:
- Once the dough pieces have rested, you can steam them.
- Steam them for around 8-10 minutes. Once done, don't take the lid off straight away, open your steamer slightly and leave this for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes you can take the lid off.
- Frying the buns:
- You want to fry these in oil that is at 180c/350f. Just fry them until they're golden brown on both sides.
- Now serve them with some condensed milk on the side. It's best to eat these whiles they're hot and crispy, enjoy!
