China · Home-style

Steamed Flower Rolls

Soft, lightly sweet northern wheat buns with a faint scent of grain, steamed until they are pillowy. The fastest breakfast when buns are in the freezer.

30 minutes · 4 servings · Easy

Steamed Flower Rolls

Hua juan are northern steamed buns twisted into a flower shape, and frozen versions are kept in most Chinese supermarkets for mornings when nobody has time to shape dough. They need a full fifteen minutes of steaming and no more, or they dry out. They are at their best straight from the steamer, when the outside still has a faint sheen.

Ingredients

  • frozen flower rolls5 pieces
  • water400 ml

Directions

  1. 1

    Take five flower rolls out of the bag.

  2. 2

    Lay them flat on a plate, trying not to let them overlap.

  3. 3

    Pour 400ml of water into the pot, put the steamer rack inside it, set the plate of rolls on the rack and put the lid on.

  4. 4

    Heat over high heat until the water boils.

  5. 5

    Turn to medium heat and steam for fifteen minutes.

  6. 6

    Open the lid and feel the surface of a roll; if it is not hot enough, cover and heat for longer, otherwise turn off the heat and take it out.

  7. 7

    Take the plate out and let it cool to about fifty degrees before eating.

Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.