Youtiao

Youtiao(traditional Chinese:油條;simplified Chinese:油条;pinyin:Yóutiáo), known in Southern China asyu char kway, is a long golden-browndeep-friedstrip of wheat flourdoughofChinese originand (by a variety of other names) also popular in otherEastandSoutheast Asiancuisines.
Conventionally,youtiaoare lightly salted and easily separated by hand.Youtiaoare normally eaten at breakfastas an accompaniment forrice congee,soy milkor cow'smilkblended with sugar.Youtiaomay also be known as aChinesecruller,Chinese oil stick,Chinese donut [sticks], andfried breadstick, among others.
In other Asian countries, they may also be calledbicho, you char kway, cakwe, cakoi, kueh, kuay, shakoyorpathongko, among other names.
At breakfast,youtiaocan be stuffed insideshāobǐng(traditional Chinese:燒餅; simplified Chinese:烧饼;lit.'roasted flatbread') to make asandwichknown asshāobǐng yóutiáo(traditional Chinese:燒餅油條; simplified Chinese:烧饼油条). Youtiao wrapped in arice noodle rollis known aszháliǎng. InYunnan, a roasted rice flour pancake usually wrapped around ayoutiaois known aserkuai(traditional Chinese:燒餌塊; simplified Chinese:烧饵块). Yet another name for a sandwich variant isjianbingguǒzi(traditional Chinese:煎餅果子; simplified Chinese:煎饼果子;lit.'youtiao and fried bread').
Youtiaois occasionally dipped into various liquids, for example the soupxidoufen, soy milk (sweet or salty), and soy sauce.
Youtiao is also an important ingredient of the foodcífàn tuáninShanghai cuisine.
Tánggāo(Chinese:糖糕), or "sugar cake", is a sweet, fried food item similar in appearance to youtiao but shorter in length.
In Thailand,youtiaoorpathongko(ปาท่องโก๋) in Thai are eaten for breakfast withsoy milkorporridge.
InCambodia, it is calledcha kway(Khmer:ឆាខ្វៃ) and usually dipped inkuy teav,congeeor coffee. SomeChinese Cambodianimmigrants inAustraliasometimes call itchopstick cakebecause of its resemblance to a pair ofchopsticks.
Although generally known asyóutiáoin Standard Mandarin, the dish is also known asguǒzi(餜子) innorthern China. InMin Nan-speaking areas, such asTaiwan, it is known asiû-chiā-kóe(油炸粿),wherekóe(粿/餜) means cake or pastry, hence "oil-fried cake/pastry". InCantonese-speaking areas this is rendered asyàuh ja gwái(油炸鬼), wheregwáiliterally means "devil" or "ghost".
TheCantonesenameyàuh ja gwáiliterally means "oil-fried devil" and, according to folklore,is an act of protest againstSong dynastyofficialQin Hui, who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the generalYue Fei, an icon ofpatriotisminChinese culture. It is said that the food, originally in the shape of two human-shaped pieces of dough but later evolved into two pieces joined in the middle, represents Qin Hui and his wife, both having a hand in collaborating with the enemy to bring about the great general's demise.Thus the youtiao is deep fried and eaten as if done to the traitorous couple. In keeping with the legend, youtiao are often made as two foot-long rolls of dough joined along the middle, with one roll representing the husband and the other the wife.The Cantonese name may derive fromGuangzhoubeing the last resistance front before the Song dynasty collapsed.
In Indonesia, the fried dough is known ascakwe(pronounced[tʃakwe]). It is commonly chopped or thinly sliced and then eaten for breakfast withbubur ayam(chicken porridge) or eaten as snacks with dipping of local version of chilli vinaigrette or peanut / satay sauce.
InJava, cakwe is usually sold as a street snack atkaki lima, usually at the same stalls that sellbolang-balingorroti goreng(sweet fried dough) anduntir-untir(Javaneseversion ofmahua). This snack is sometime served with spicy sweet salty sauce (optional). Savory cakwe, sweet bolang-baling and crunchy untir-untir are to be considered to compliment each other in a snack mix.
InLaos, youtiao is generally calledkao nom kouorpatongko(cf.Thaipatongko) or "chao quay", and is commonly eaten with coffee at breakfast in place of abaguette(khao jee falang).It is also eaten as an accompaniment to "khao piek sen" (chicken noodle soup) or "jok" (congee).
It is rendered inMalay languageascakoi, an alteration of the Minnan term,char kway. The namepathongko(seeThailand) is more common in the northern states ofKedah,PerlisandPenang,kayu khamakorkuduhinTerengganu,kocokinPahangandPerakandcakuweinKelantan.Cakoiis usually sold in morning street markets orpasar malamnight markets and commonly eaten with coffee or soy milk for breakfast or at tea time.
The youtiao is also a popular breakfast food inMyanmar(Burma) where it is callede kya kway(အီကြာကွေး [ì tʒà ku̯éː]). It is usually eaten with steamed yellow beans (with salt and oil) or dipped into coffee or tea, or withcondensed milk(နို့ဆီ). E kya kway is also eaten with rice porridge, or cut into small rings and used as a condiment formohinga. Tea culture is prevalent in Myanmar, and almost every shop will serve e kya kway for breakfast.
Some shops stuff meat into the youtiao and deep fry it over again. It is callede kya kway asar thoot– stuffed e kya kway.
In thePhilippines, it is either known asBicho/Bicho-Bicho(Hokkien: 米棗Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bí-tsó) orShakoy/Siyakoy(Hokkien: 炸粿Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tsia̍h-kué) /Pinisi/lubid-lubid.They are usually deep-fried, in the case of Bicho-Bicho, or deep-fried and twisted, in the case of Shakoy. Dry, smaller and crunchy versions are calledpilipit.
InSingapore, it is known asyu char kway, which is the transliteration of itsHokkien(Minnan) name (油炸粿iû-tsiā-kué). Apart from the plain version, the Singaporean take on Youtiao also comes with various fillings which are either sweet, such as red bean paste or savory (ham chim peng, 鹹煎餅), such as sardines in tomato sauce. The plain version is often eaten with sweet chili sauce or coconut and egg jam calledkaya, or served withbak kut teh(肉骨茶), porridge or ricecongee, sliced thinly to be dipped into the broth or congee and eaten.
InTaiwan, Youtiao is often known by itsHokkienname (油炸粿iû-tsiā-kué) and is a popular breakfast item throughout Taiwan. Youtiao are usually sandwiched intoshaobingsor cut into sections and wrapped inrice balls, or eaten withalmond milk,soy milk, anddouhuafor breakfast. It is also an essential ingredient forTainan-stylecongeeand salty soy milk, and it is also an indispensable ingredient for Tainan beef soup and as a side for Taiwanese-style spicyhot pot.
InThailand, youtiao is generally calledpathongko(Thai:ปาท่องโก๋,pronounced[paːtʰɔ̂ŋkǒː]) due to a confusion with a different kind of dessert.Pathongkois a loanword adapted from eitherTeochewMinnanbeh teung guai(白糖粿; Mandarin:bái tángguǒ) orCantoneseofbaahktònggòu(白糖糕; Mandarin: bái tánggāo). However, both possible original names referred to a different dessert, thewhite sugar sponge cake. It was previously sold together with youtiao bystreet vendorswho normally walked around and shouted both names out loud. However, Thai customers often mistakenly thought that the more popular youtiao was "pathongko". Eventually, the realpathongkodisappeared from the market because of its unpopularity. The disappearance of real "pathongko" left the youtiao labeled under the former's name, while the latter's real name is generally unknown amongst the Thais. The original white sugar sponge cake can still be easily found inTrang ProvinceinSouthern Thailandunder its original name while youtiao is still called "chakoi" or "chiakoi" by some Southerners.
In Thailand,pathongkois also dipped into condensed milk or, in the South, eaten withkaya. In some provinces, such asChanthaburiandKanchanaburi,pathongkosare eaten with sweet and sour dipping sauce, considered a local delicacy.
InVietnamese cuisine, it is known by a name that is a pronunciation similar to the Cantonese pronunciation, asdầu cháo quẩy,giò cháo quẩyor simplyquẩy. 油 ("dầu/giò"), 鬼 ("quỷ/quẩy") coming from the approximate Cantonese pronunciation. In Vietnam,giò cháo quẩyis eaten typically with congee orphởin Hanoi, and sometimes withwonton noodle(mì hoành thánhormì vằn thắn). In Southern Vietnam, quẩy is often enjoyed withbánh canh cua, or dipped in hot soymilk as a quick breakfast.