Soy pulp cornmeal buns are Chinese cornbread with a twist. Rustic yet soft, nutritious yet simple, accompanied by the sweet aroma of the soybean and corn flour. This is my favourite recipe to use up not only leftover soy pulp, but pulps from making any plant-based milk. This soy pulp cornmeal buns recipe was originally written for my cookbook, Vegan Chinese Cookbook.
Cornmeal buns (窝头, wo tou) are a very traditional country-style bread. Adding soy pulp creates a softer texture while reducing waste from making soy milk. Soy pulp also adds extra nutrients and protein. You can eat these buns as part of a meal in place of rice, and sometimes people put stir-fried dishes inside the buns. Watch the video below for how to make this recipe.
What Is Soy Pulp?
Soy pulp or soybean pulp is the leftover mushy soybean paste after squeezing out all the soy milk through a nut milk bag. You can read about it in my homemade tofu recipe. When making tofu from scratch, the first half of tofu making process is essentially making soy milk, and the second half of the process is turning soy milk into tofu.
You can see the soy pulp in the photo below. After making soy milk, I divided up the soy pulp into 1-cup portions and stored them in separate ziploc bags in the freezer. I thawed the amount needed the night before making these cornmeal buns.
Is Soy Pulp Healthy?
Some people are concerned about soy products, mainly due to GMO and anti-nutrients. I am a big proponent for eating in balance, in moderation, buying organic, and using traditional practice to minimize harmful effects. I wrote about it in details in my sprouted tofu recipe.
When I make soy milk and tofu at home, I always use organic raw soybeans. I then soak and sprout my soybeans to neutralize anti-nutrients and maximize their nutritional value. Sprouted soybeans are healthier and more digestible, so are my sprouted soy pulp and sprouted tofu and soy milk.
I used organic sprouted soy pulp in this batch of cornmeal buns you see in the photos. While I am getting the nutrients from soybeans, I also used the healthiest method during the soy milk (and pulp) making process to minimize the negative effects of soy products.
Soy pulp divided into 1-cup portions, then kept in the freezer for long term storage.
What If I Don’t Have Soy Pulp?
You can still make this recipe even if you don’t have soy pulp. In fact, this is a great recipe to incorporate leftover pulps from making any plant-based milk. For example, pulps from making almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk. Whenever I make any plant-based milk at home, I turn the leftover pulps into cornmeal buns, simply by swapping the soy pulp with equal amount of another nut pulp or oat pulp I have on hand. All of the pulps act in similar ways to soften the buns and add nutrients.
Traditional cornmeal buns often contain a mixture of corn flour and flour of other grains or legumes. You can certainly play with different combinations or skip the soy pulp altogether (but adjust the ratio of baking soda and sugar in the recipe).
Special Equipment: Steamer
Steamed dishes are very common in Chinese cooking. You can use a stainless steel steamer pot (either single- or multitiered) or you can put a separate steamer basket or tray inside of or on top of a large pot. You can also use a bamboo steamer basket (either single- or multilevel) on top of a pot or wok. Whichever option you choose, make sure you have plenty of flat surface inside your steamer. Multilevel steamers are great for this. If you choose a bamboo steamer basket, I recommend one that’s at least 10 inches in diameter.
Bamboo steamer basket on a wok.
Soy Pulp Cornmeal Bun Ingredients
- Cornmeal (fine or medium grind)
- Granulated sugar (I use organic cane sugar or coconut sugar)
- Baking soda
- Hot water
- Soy pulp (leftover from homemade soy milk)
Cornmeal Buns Cooking Tips
- Adding baking soda softens the texture of the cornmeal buns. Be sure to mix the baking soda well with the cornmeal. If you don’t, the cooked cornmeal buns will have dark sports on them.
- It’s important to use boiling hot water instead of room temperate water. Hot water makes the cornmeal sticky, therefore you can make a dough from it.
- See image below for the process of making the dough and shaping them into cone shapes. Make sure to press a hole into the base of the cones (see video), to ensure that the buns will cook through.
Process for making the dough and shaping them into cone shapes.
Gluten-Free Vegan Cornbread
Next time you want a gluten-free vegan cornbread, make these Chinese-style cornmeal buns! The nutritious, protein-rich buns do not contain wheat, egg or dairy. You can find this recipe in chapter 6, “Dumplings, Rolls, and Small Bites”, of my Vegan Chinese Cookbook.
More Plant-Based Favourites from Vegan Chinese Cookbook:
- Mung Bean Cakes (Gluten-Free, Vegan, 3 Ingredients)
- Eight Treasure Congee (八宝粥)
- Vegan Fried Rice with Cumin and Potato
- Chinese Scallion Pancakes (葱油饼)
- Vegan Mapo Tofu
- Smacked Cucumber Salad
- Chinese Eggplant Recipe: Red-Braised Eggplants
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Soy Pulp Cornmeal Buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal fine or medium grind
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar I use organic cane sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 1 cup soy pulp leftover from hamemade soy milk, or substitute with pulp of any homemade plant-based milk
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, sugar, and baking soda and mix well.
- Pour the hot water into the cornmeal mix, stirring quickly with a pair of chopsticks until all the cornmeal binds with the water. Let the batter sit for 3 minutes to cool, until you can safely touch it.
- Add the soy pulp and massage the mixture until the ingredients form a dough. If the mixture is too dry, add a little hot water. If it's too wet, add a little cornmeal.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each piece by hand into a cone. Press a hole into the base of the cone. (This ensures the buns will cook through.)
- Line a steamer basket with parchment paper. Place the buns into the steamer with 1 inch of space between them. Heat the steamer over high heat until it comes to a full steam. Reduce the heat to medium and steam for 30 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- Adding baking soda softens the texture of the cornmeal buns. Be sure to mix the baking soda well with the cornmeal. If you don’t, the cooked cornmeal buns will have dark sports on them.
- It’s important to use boiling hot water instead of room temperate water. Hot water makes the cornmeal sticky, therefore you can make a dough from it.
- Soy pulp is a by-product of soy milk and tofu making.
- This is a great recipe to incorporate leftover pulps from making any plant-based milk. Simply swap the soy pulp with equal amount of another pulp, such as leftover from making almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk.
Nutrition
This looks interesting, especially as it will scale easily for smaller households. What would you serve these with?