Black Sesame Red Dates Mochi Mantou(黑芝麻紅棗年糕饅頭)

Fluffy yeast buns infused with black sesame paste, wrapped around a chewy red-date mochi layer and a lightly sweetened black sesame filling, then steamed and sliced to show a beautiful swirled cross-section—best enjoyed warm.

Ingredients

Steps

Black sesame dough
Start by making the main dough by mixing all ingredients together
Kneed for about 5 minutes until you get a smooth dough. Let rest aside
Mochi dough
Cut the red dates into smaller pieces so it’s easier for consumption
Then mix all mochi dough ingredients together until everything is well incorporated
Here it is important that you adjust the water amount yourself as each glutinous flour’s water absorption is different. You only want a nice sticky dough is formed. Set aside
Dough construction
Place the rested black sesame dough onto a rolling mat
Roll it out to a long oval shape
Flip the dough and fold the top and bottom to the centre as shown
Rotate the dough in 90 degrees and roll out the dough again to a long rectangle
Repeat the above steps: flip, fold, roll. Repeat this set for at least 2 more times
The last time rolling out it flat you want a larger, thinner rectangle
On the other hand, roll out the mochi dough in cling film until it’s about the same size as the black sesame dough
Lay it onto the black sesame dough, leaving an inch space at the bottom
Roll out the bottom dough for easier sealing
Then, spread the fillings accordingly
Start rolling the dough from top down until you get to the edge
Wipe the dough with a bit of water so it seals better
Seal tight
Make the dough into an even thickness
Roughly measure the cutting points
Cut with tooth floss for a better looking cross section
Place them over a steamer with warm water. Let ferment for 30 minutes or until they grow in 1.5x size
Once done fermenting, let steam over boiling water for 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let sit for another 3 minutes
Once done, serve while hot and enjoy!