Add a decorative touch to your meal with hua juan 花卷 or Chinese flower rolls. Whether you have a special celebration or simply want to elevate your dishes, hua juan is the perfect dish for any purpose.
It is a type of Chinese steamed bun beautifully shaped into a flower with layers of carrots, ham, and green onions. This recipe is simple but promises the tastiest bun made with pantry-friendly ingredients.
All About Hua Juan (Chinese Flower Rolls)
If you enjoyed my previous recipes on mantou, including Fried Mantou With Condensed Milk (Golden Bun) and Quick and Easy Steamed Mantou, then you will most definitely want to try hua juan or scallion roll. Hua juan or Chinese flower roll is a variety of Chinese steamed bun without a filling in the center.
It is similar to making mantou, but the difference is we add delicious bits of carrots, ham, and green onions. Instead of stuffing the filling in the center of the bun, we add it directly to the dough.
You can have it for breakfast or as a snack or side dish for any meal of the day. This recipe is easily customizable with your preferred ingredients, such as minced pork, shrimp, or Chinese five spice powder. Pair this steamy bun with a hot bowl of congee, tofu, or soup.
Guidelines For Hua Juan (Chinese Flower Rolls)
The guidelines I share are focused on the dough, including its key ingredients and cooking techniques. The dough is the foundation of this recipe and not the vegetables and meat added to it. So, you have to make sure you create the perfect dough that is soft and bouncy.
Basically, the dough is kneaded thoroughly, mixed with the vegetables and meat, and shaped into a flower. Then, it has to rest to allow it to ferment and become bigger in size. Making a single mistake in any of the ingredients and essential steps can lead to undesirable results.
So, to help you have a successful hua juan, I listed my top recommendations when making this dish. Read these guidelines first before proceeding with the recipe instructions.
Dough Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: The most dependable and accessible flour for this recipe is all-purpose flour. You get the desirable soft and fluffy bun with all-purpose or regular flour. Do not use whole wheat flour, rice flour, orglutinous rice flour. I don’t recommend these special flours because they will produce a different texture. For instance, whole wheat flour makes it dry, while glutinous rice flour makes it sticky and chewy.
- Yeast: The crucial ingredient in making the bun rise and have an airy texture is yeast. You may find different types of yeast, such as instant and dry yeast. Remember, some yeast types need to be mixed with water first, while some can be mixed directly with the dough ingredients. For instance, instant yeast or fast-rising yeast do not require dissolving in water since you can mix it directly with the dough ingredients. On the other hand, active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in warm water first.
- Sugar: Any type of sugar will work, including white, brown, dark brown, and coconut sugar. Sugar isn’t necessary for sweetness, but it speeds up fermentation. Yeast is a sugar-feeding microorganism. Sugar converts into carbon dioxide and ethanol, which are key factors in making the mantou rise and puff up.
- Warm Water: Another vital aspect of the outcome of your dough is warm water. Do not use hot water when mixing the dry ingredients as this could kill the yeast. It is important to remember that yeast is a living, single-celled microorganism that relies on natural fermentation. So, water temperatures of 120°F to 140°F will kill the yeast. The dough will not rise and will remain flat if the yeast is killed.
Cooking Tips
- Steaming method alternative: Chinese buns are normally steamed. This is the traditional way of cooking buns, typically in a steamer or bamboo basket. Alternatively, there are other ways to steam buns without a steamer. Check out my guide on How To Steam Buns Without A Steamer. If you want to add a beautiful golden brown finish, you can also pan-fry the steamed buns. Once the buns are steamed, pan-fry them in an oiled skillet to have that crispy brown bottom.
- Proofing time and temperature: If you proof or ferment too much, the bun will accumulate too much air, which can cause it to crumble during steaming. Similarly, proofing too short causes the dough not to rise because the yeast’s activation has not been completed. It is generally recommended that you proof the dough for at least 1.5 or 2 times its size. In addition, you can proof the dough at room temperature or in a warm environment. Too much heat will cause it to over-ferment and have a sour taste. Keep in mind a hot summer day will cause fermentation to occur more quickly, while a cold winter day will cause fermentation to take longer. I recommend proofing the dough in an oven or microwave with boiled water next to it during the winter months.
- Adjusting dough consistency:Different flour brands and types can produce different results. Some flour types absorb water differently, so you might end up with a firm, sticky, or watery dough. In this case, you may need to add water or flour to adjust and get the right dough consistency.
Storage Recommendations
- Store leftover buns: Whether you have leftovers or cooked them in advance, you can store the buns in the fridge or freezer. It can last for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 1 to 2 months in the freezer. If stored in the freezer, freeze them in an airtight container on a single layer and not stacked. Once the buns are completely frozen, you can keep them in a freezer bag together. You can simply re-steam these buns until soft.
What You Need To Make Hua Juan (Chinese Flower Rolls)
After considering the guidelines above, you are now ready to create your very own hua juan or Chinese flower rolls. The things you need are very accessible. Simply get a mixing bowl, a steamer, and your basic knife and chopping board.
As for the ingredients, these are your typical kitchen staples, so you probably have them already. Here’s a complete list of what you need:
Kitchenware
- Mixing bowl for the dough
- Knife and chopping board
- Dough rolling pin
- Steamer with cover
- Chopsticks
- Plastic wrap
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 500g flour
- 5g yeast
- 5g sugar
- 300g warm water
- 20g chopped green onions
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp hot oil
- 20g diced carrots
- 20g diced ham
Steps To Create Hua Juan (Chinese Flower Rolls)
In my recipe, you only need to rest the dough once after kneading and shaping it. Shaping the dough can be a tough part, especially if it is your first time making a flower roll. To help you with this process, I recommend watching my tutorial video on Tiktok and Instagram to see how I shaped the dough using chopsticks.
Knead The Dough
In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and warm water. Keep stirring until it forms small chunks. Then, knead it into a smooth dough.
Using a rolling pin, flatten it into a large rectangular dough sheet. You can dust the worktop with a thin layer of flour to make it easier to work with.
Prepare The Mixture
In a separate mixing bowl, mix the chopped green onions, salt, and baking soda.
Pour the hot oil into the bowl and let it sizzle.
Then, add the diced carrots and ham and stir until well combined.
Spread this mixture evenly onto the rectangular dough sheet.
Shape The Dough
Next, fold the sheet lengthwise in three equal parts. When folding, the mixture should be on the interior side.
Cut it into narrow strips about two fingers wide.
Take two strips and stack them together. Since you need two stacked strips, make sure the number of strips cut in previous step is an even number.
In the middle of the stacked strips, place a chopstick in the middle and press it. This should create a sunken middle part of the strip.
Afterward, slightly stretch it to make rolls.
Then, place the chopstick in the middle of the roll and fold the roll inward. The chopstick is wrapped in the middle of the roll.
Next, hold the two ends of the roll and twist the chopstick counterclockwise. You should make 1 full turn counterclockwise.
While holding the two ends, place the rolled bun onto the countertop and press it down firmly.
Carefully slide out the chopstick from the rolled dough.
Steam The Chinese Flower Rolls
After creating all the flower rolls, cover the rolls with plastic wrap. Let them rise and become bigger, about 1.5 times their original size.
Next, add water to a steamer and let it boil. Steam the rolls for 12 minutes.
Enjoy a soft and beautiful Chinese flower roll!
Hua Juan (Chinese Flower Rolls Or Scallion Roll)
Equipment
- Mixing bowl for the dough
- Knife and chopping board
- Dough rolling pin
- Steamer with cover
- Chopsticks
- Plastic wrap
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 500 g flour
- 5 g yeast
- 5 g sugar
- 300 g warm water
- 20 g chopped green onions
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp hot oil
- 20 g diced carrots
- 20 g diced ham
Instructions
Knead The Dough
- In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and warm water.
- Keep stirring until it forms small chunks.
- Then, knead it into a smooth dough.
- Using a rolling pin, flatten it into a large rectangular dough sheet. You can dust the worktop with a thin layer of flour to make it easier to work with.
Prepare The Mixture
- In a separate mixing bowl, mix the chopped green onions, salt, and baking soda.
- Pour the hot oil into the bowl and let it sizzle.
- Then, add the diced carrots and ham and stir until well combined.
- Spread this mixture evenly onto the rectangular dough sheet.
Shape The Dough
- Next, fold the sheet lengthwise in three equal parts. When folding, the mixture should be on the interior side.
- Cut it into narrow strips about two fingers wide.
- Take two strips and stack them together. Since you need two stacked strips, make sure the number of strips cut in step 10 is an even number.
- In the middle of the stacked strips, place a chopstick in the middle and press it. This should create a sunken middle part of the strip.
- Afterward, slightly stretch it to make rolls.
- Then, place the chopstick in the middle of the roll and fold the roll inward. The chopstick is wrapped in the middle of the roll.
- Next, hold the two ends of the roll and twist the chopstick counterclockwise. You should make 1 full turn counterclockwise.
- While holding the two ends, place the rolled bun onto the countertop and press it down firmly.
- Carefully slide out the chopstick from the rolled dough.
Steam The Chinese Flower Rolls
- After creating all the flower rolls, cover the rolls with plastic wrap.
- Let them rise and become bigger, about 1.5 times their original size.
- Next, add water to a steamer and let it boil.
- Steam the rolls for 12 minutes.
- Enjoy a soft and beautiful Chinese flower roll!
