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Wowotou
Steamed cornmeal cone buns
Wowotou (窝窝头): Beijing steamed cone buns of cornmeal and soybean flour
Wowotou are the little golden cones that fed northern China through hard decades, and Beijing restaurants now serve them, made small and slightly sweet, as nostalgic winter food alongside stews and pickles. A hollow is pressed into the base of each with a thumb so they cook through evenly. Soybean flour gives them a nutty taste and about 10 g of protein for three buns, from the soy and corn, so they are not high-protein on their own. They are gluten free if your cornmeal and soy flour are milled where wheat isn't; check the packet. The usual mistake is mixing with cold water: the dough stays crumbly and the cones crack, so scald it with near-boiling water. Chef's tip: wet your hands before shaping each cone; the dough won't stick and the surface steams smooth and shiny.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 7 oz fine yellow cornmeal
- 2 ⅛ oz soybean powderfinely ground soybean flour
- ⅔ oz sugar
- ½ tsp baking powdergluten-free
- ¾ cup waterjust off the boil
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 7 oz fine yellow cornmeal, 2 ⅛ oz soybean powder, ⅔ oz sugar and ½ tsp baking powder in a bowl. Pour in ¾ cup water a little at a time, stirring with chopsticks, until it forms clumps.
Step 2: Once cool enough to touch, knead in the bowl for 2–3 minutes into a soft dough that holds together when squeezed and doesn't crack. Add a spoonful more hot water if it crumbles. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
13 minStep 3: Divide into 12 pieces. With wet hands, roll each into a ball, then push your thumb into the base and turn the ball around it, pinching the top, to make a cone about 6 cm tall with a deep hollow and walls about 1 cm thick.
Step 4: Line a steamer basket with damp cloth or baking paper with holes and set the cones in it, 2 cm apart. Steam over rapidly boiling water for 20 minutes, until firm, springy and shiny all over, with no pale damp patches.
20 minStep 5: Leave them in the steamer, lid off, for 2 minutes before serving warm. Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge; re-steam for 5 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does wowotou take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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