Destination
Manila
The story
Mantou is Manila's Chinese-Filipino plain steamed bun — a simple, pillowy, slightly-sweet yeasted bread ball, steamed until fluffy and cloud-white, served warm with a small dish of sweetened condensed milk for dipping (a specifically Chinoy Filipino kopitiam habit) or split and stuffed with a stick of Chinese pork sausage. Sold at every Manila Binondo Chinatown restaurant, at every Chinoy family breakfast table, and at the specialist Chinese-Filipino bakeries (Salazar Bakery on Binondo's Ongpin Street being the most famous). Not to be confused with siopao — mantou is unfilled and simpler; siopao is filled with meat or sweet paste. The word mantou is Mandarin for "steamed bun," borrowed directly into Filipino Chinese cuisine.
Method
In a large bowl, whisk warm milk, warm water and 1 tbsp of the sugar. Sprinkle yeast over. Rest 5 minutes until foamy.
Add the remaining sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt, oil and baking powder (if using) to the yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon then knead by hand for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and rest in a warm spot 60 to 90 minutes until doubled.
Punch down the dough. Divide into 12 equal balls (each about 70g). Roll each into a smooth ball (round mantou) or shape into a small rectangle (rolled mantou).
Set each shaped bun onto a small square of baking paper. Arrange in bamboo steamer baskets with 5cm between each (they expand). Cover and rest 30 to 40 minutes until visibly puffed and pillowy.
Set the steamer over a wok of simmering water. Steam over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Do not open the lid during steaming.
Turn off the heat and rest the buns in the covered steamer for 5 minutes. This prevents the sudden temperature drop that causes collapse.
Lift the mantou out. Serve warm on a plate with a small dish of sweetened condensed milk for dipping — the classical Chinoy breakfast. Alternatively, split each mantou and stuff with a slice of Chinese sausage and butter for a savoury version. Best within an hour of steaming.
Tips
- Do not open the steamer. The lid must stay on for the full 15 minutes plus the 5-minute rest. Peeking causes the buns to deflate into rubbery discs.
- Rest with lid on. The 5-minute residual-heat rest at the end is what prevents the classical mantou-collapse. Skip and half your buns wrinkle.
- Cornstarch in the dough. This is the Chinoy trick for extra tender, pillowy texture. Do not omit.
- Slightly sweet dough. Filipino mantou is sweeter than Chinese. Sixty grams sugar per 500g flour is the Filipino target; Chinese versions use less. Both are correct for their tradition.
- Reheat by re-steaming. Cold or day-old mantou revive with 5 minutes of steaming. Microwave versions turn rubbery.
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