Wokipedia: W is for …

“Wokipedia” is a regular magazine column in which we introduce aspects of Chinese gastronomy, one letter at a time.

... wanzi 丸子
For all too many people, wanzi (or“round mass”) evokes only thoughts of suspiciously spongy fish balls at lowbrow hot pot restaurants. That’s a shame, because there are plenty of other ways to enjoy meat or seafood that’s been minced and made rotund. If you supersize pork wanzi and red-braise them, you’ve got “lion’s head” meatballs (狮子 头), a popular dish at Chinese New Year dinners. Wanzi tang, a noted Hui dish, features beef meatballs slow-cooked over many hours in beef-bone stock.

... wangao 碗糕
Literally translated as “bowl cake,” the round-bottomed wangao hail from Guilin. Sweet or savory flavorings are added to a fermented slush of crushed glutinous rice and then the mixture is steamed in a bowl, the vessel that gives this dessert its name and recognizable shape. Wangao tastes best fresh and cooked to order, as it loses fragrance and fluffiness when it cools. In the Minnanese dialect, “wangao” is also slang for “situation,” as in “What’s happening?”

... wowotou 窝窝头
Even as the West has moved away from Wonder White and towards multigrain baked goods, China is revisiting some of its traditional “breads.” Conical and nubbly, wowotou are frequently made from cornmeal, water and a pinch of soybean powder. Here’s the recipe: Knead. Shape into a roughly rounded cone, and indent the base with a little dimple. Steam. Admire the cuteness. Don’t burn your fingers. Then eat! Just like mantou, they pair well with many a dish, and the name is fun to say.

Click here to see the March issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo: nicip.com user zhou1996