[Sca-cooks] Glutinous rice and Chinese pastry?

[Christiane]

      There will probably be about 50 other folks jumping in, but at the risk of
duplicating, I don't believe that rice flour has any gluten in it; gluten being 
the substance that makes kneaded wheat doughs "springy" and elastic.  
It acts as a binder to give wheat baked products their coherence (and, if overkneaded,
toughness, since the strength of the gluten increases the more it's "worked").
I believe rye has gluten too, but I don't think corn or barley do.  

      Using flours without gluten gives a very fragile product, because the dough
lacks a natural binding agent.  I also seem to recall they work poorly for raised
breads and the like, because without gluten, the dough doesn't trap the bubbles 
created by the leaven, and the dough doesn't "rise" properly.
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Quite some time ago (at least 12 years ago, now, sheesh, doesn't the time fly) I went to interview the first Asian-American elected to an office in Mercer County, N.J. Shing-Fu Hsueh is Taiwanese; and very traditional in that as a guest in his home, his wife made sure that plenty of food and drink was on hand for me (beverage of choice, Coca-Cola). She served these puffed, slightly sweet steamed-rather-than-baked buns that I loved; I later found them in a Chinese food store, and noted that rice flour was used in them. The texture was rather light and somewhat chewy. Maybe it was a combination of rice and wheat flour?

I've also seen these pastries in the K.C. Bakeries in Philly's Chinatown. I still can't remember what they are called. Any clues would be appreciated <g>.

Gianotta