Erkuai () is a type of

rice cake A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten and are particularly preval ...

particular to the

Yunnan Province Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

southwest China Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China. Geography Southwest China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between the Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) and ...

. The name literally means "ear piece," a reference to the shape of one of its common forms. It is often served

stir-fried Stir frying () is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and t ...

with vegetables, and ''málà'' (麻辣) sauce, which is a mixture of dried red chilis, Sichuan pepper, and salt. It is also sold as the popular street food ''kăo ĕrkuāi'' (烤饵块) or ''shāo ěrkuāi'' grilled and rolled around a '' yóutiáo'' (strip of fried dough), with sweet or savory condiments added, making a rolled-up snack resembling a Mexican

burrito A burrito (, ) is a dish in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine that took form in Ciudad Juárez, consisting of a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylindrical shape around various ingredients. The tortilla is sometimes lightly grilled or steamed ...

. The sweet type contains a sweet brown sauce and peanuts, while the savory type is spread with '' lǔfǔ'' and

bean sprouts Sprouting is the natural process by which seeds or spores germinate and put out shoots, and already established plants produce new leaves or buds, or other structures experience further growth. In the field of nutrition, the term signifies ...

, and various other toppings. ''Kăo ĕrkuāi'' is particularly popular in the tourist area of Dali. Its peculiar name has led to it being called one of the

Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan (Chinese: 云南十八怪; pinyin: Yúnnán Shíbā Guài; sometimes called Eighteen Wonders of Yunnan) are eighteen unique traits of the Yunnan province of southwest China. The oddities, which are as follows, are gene ...

References

Yunnan cuisine Chinese rice dishes Rice cakes {{China-cuisine-stub

See also

References