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I dare you to guess what this recipe is for just from the photo on the left. It took me a long time to first figure out what they were, then to nail down where they came from, and then finally to ferret out how they were made.
But here's a hint: Few people would think of oats when they
consider the foods of the cold Chinese north, but in the region between northern
Hebei and Shanxi and then up north into Inner Mongolia, the flour from oat
groats (youmian) is turned into some very interesting things.
Take this bread-like creation, for example. It is
visually spectacular, with tiny rolls of the oat dough clustered together in a
steamer basket. They look just like a honeycomb or wasp’s nest. But looks
aside, these are also quite tasty.
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| Sweet & nutty cylinders |
This area of China has historically been rather
poor, and so the humble oat is sometimes called upon to lend substantial cheer
to a relatively empty table.
I was astounded, though, by how utterly delicious
and satisfying a simple meal of these rolls are when accompanied by nothing
more than some julienned cucumbers and a bowl of chili oil (this recipe is
strongly recommended here).
Honeycomb rolls also are the perfect
accompaniment to lamb soup; simply dunk the rolls in the soup as you go or drop
one into the soup before scooping it up with some meat and broth. Since there
is no gluten in oat groats, they will crumble into mush if left to their own
devices in the hot soup, so drop in one at a time.
Preparing oat groats this way is called “thrice
cooked” (三熟 sānshóu), as they are first
toasted, then blanched, and then finally steamed. The toasting brings out their
sweetness, and as you dry-fry them in a wok, they will swell and gently pop,
sort of like popcorn.
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| Raw oat groats |
The directions take longer to read than actually making
the rolls, especially once you get the hang of it. I use two 6-inch wide dim
sum steamer baskets made out of bamboo; the honeycomb rolls fit perfectly in
there and also look gorgeous.
Oat honeycomb rolls
Yóumiàn tuīwōwō 莜麵推窩窩 or Kǎolǎolǎo 栲栳栳
Shanxi, Mongolia
Serves 4 to 6
Serves 4 to 6
2 cups organic oat groats (see Tips)
1¾ cups boiling filtered water
1. Place the oat groats in a dry wok and toast
them over medium-high heat, stirring them with a wok spatula, until they start
to pop and are gently toasted. Pour the toasted groats into a mixing bowl and
let them cool down to room temperature.
2. Grind the groats in a blender or food
processor until very fine; do this in two or more batches if necessary. Put the
groat flour into a heatproof bowl and stir in the boiling water. When a dough
has formed, knead it on a smooth surface until it becomes smooth.
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| Toast the groats |
3. Next, form the little rolls. Break off bits
of dough to form balls about an inch across. Cover any dough you are not
working on with a damp towel or some plastic wrap. Have two small dim sum
steamer baskets ready. Working on one piece at a time, roll these balls into
cigar shapes and then use a rolling pin to roll them out to an approximately 6
x 2 inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise (giving you two strips
about 6 x 1 inch in size). Roll each strip up into a cylinder and place them
cut-side down in the steamer basket. Fit the rolls right next to each other, as
they will not expand as they steam. Repeat with the rest of the dough until all
of it has been shaped and packed into the steamers (see Tips).
4. Stack and cover the steamer baskets and place
them on a saucepan filled with a couple inches of water. Steam the honeycomb
rolls for about 15 minutes and serve immediately.
Tips
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| The four shaping stages |
Oat groats are not the same as oatmeal. They are oat berries and can be found in health food
stores or online.
The rolls can be
fitted fairly tightly in the steamer baskets since there is no leavening and so
the rolls will not swell up. However, these rolls will stick to each other as
they cool off, so I usually serve one basket at a time and keep the other one covered
and slowly steaming.
If you have any
leftover dough, form these into little “fish” that can also be steamed: cut the
dough into thin 3-inch strips and then roll them so that the middle is fat and
the ends are tapered. Steam these just like the honeycomb rolls.
