''Youtiao'' (), known in Southern China as Yu Char Kway is a long golden-brown
deep-fried strip of
dough of
Chinese origin and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other
East and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
n cuisines.
Conventionally, ''youtiao'' are lightly salted and made so they can be torn lengthwise in two. ''Youtiao'' are normally eaten at breakfast as an accompaniment for
rice congee,
soy milk or regular
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulati ...
blended with sugar. ''Youtiao'' may also be known as a Chinese
cruller, Chinese oil stick, Chinese donut
ticks'', Chinese breadstick, and fried breadstick.
In other Asian countries, they may also be called ''bicho, you char kway, cakwe, cakoi, kueh, kuay, shakoy'' or ''pathongko'', among others.
Culinary applications and variants
At breakfast, ''youtiao'' can be stuffed inside ''
shāobǐng'' () to make a
sandwich known as ''shāobǐng yóutiáo'' (). Youtiao wrapped in a
rice noodle roll is known as ''
zháliǎng''. In
Yunnan
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 ...
, a roasted riceflour pancake usually wrapped around a ''youtiao'' is known as ''
erkuai'' (). Yet another name for a sandwich variant is ''jianbingguǒzi'' ().
''Youtiao'' is occasionally dipped into various liquids, for example the soup ''
xidoufen'', soy milk (sweet or salty), and soy sauce.
Youtiao is also an important ingredient of the food ''
Cífàn tuán'' in
Shanghai cuisine.
''Tánggāo'' (), or "sugar cake", is a sweet, fried food item similar in appearance to youtiao but shorter in length.
In Thailand, ''youtiao'' or ''pathongko'' () in Thai are eaten for breakfast with
soy milk or
porridge.
Names
China
Although generally known as ''yóutiáo'' in Standard Mandarin, the dish is also known as ''guǒzi'' (餜子) in
northern China. In
Min Nan-speaking areas, such as
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...
, it is known as ''iû-chiā-kóe'' (),
[許極燉. 《常用漢字台語詞典》. 台北市: 自立晚報社文化出版部, 1992. (''A Taiwanese dictionary with frequently used Chinese characters''. Taipei: Independence Evening Post, 1992.) ] where ''kóe'' (粿/餜) means cake or pastry, hence "oil-fried cake/pastry". In
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
-speaking areas this is rendered as ''yàuh ja gwái'' (油炸鬼), where ''gwái'' literally means "devil" or "ghost".
Folk etymology
The
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
name ''yàuh ja gwái'' literally means "oil-fried devil" and, according to folklore, is an act of protest against
Song Dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...
official
Qin Hui, who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general
Yue Fei, an icon of
patriotism in
Chinese culture
Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...
. 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 from
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong ...
being the last resistance front before the Song dynasty collapsed.
Cambodia
In
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
, it is called ''cha kway'' ( km, ឆាខ្វៃ) and usually dipped in ''
kuy teav'',
congee or coffee. Some
Chinese Cambodian immigrants in
Australia sometimes call it chopstick cake because of its resemblance to a pair of
chopsticks.
Indonesia
In Indonesia, the fried dough is known as ''cakwe'' (). It is commonly chopped or thinly sliced and then eaten for breakfast with ''
bubur ayam'' (chicken porridge) or eaten as snacks with dipping of local version of chilli vinaigrette or peanut / satay sauce.
In
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
, cakwe is usually sold as a street snack at
kaki lima, usually at the same stalls that sell ''
bolang-baling'' or ''
roti goreng'' (sweet fried dough) and ''
untir-untir'' (
Javanese version of ''
mahua''). 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.
Laos
In
Laos, youtiao is generally called ''kao nom kou'' or ''patongko'' (''cf.'' Thai ''
patongko'') or "chao quay", and is commonly eaten with coffee at breakfast in place of a
baguette (''khao jee falang''). It is also eaten as an accompaniment to "khao piek sen" (chicken noodle soup) or "jok" (congee).
Malaysia
It is rendered in
Malay language
Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi: , Rencong: ) is an Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spoken in East Timor and parts of the Philippines ...
as ''cakoi'', an alteration of the Minnan term, ''char kway''. The name ''patongko'' or ''paktongko'' (see
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
) is more common in the northern states of
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainla ...
,
Perlis and
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Ma ...
. ''Cakoi'' are usually sold in morning street markets or
pasar malam night markets and commonly eaten with coffee or soy milk for breakfast or at tea time.
The Chinese traditionally enjoy them with rice porridge or congee while the Malays dip them in either regular or pandan coconut jam called ''kaya'', custard pandan sauce or peanut sauce. The latter is generally enjoyed more widely across the nation. ''Cakoi'' are also often sold alongside other fried snacks, especially ''pau goreng'' with red bean or sambal fillings.
Singapore
In
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, it is known as ''yu char kway'', which is the transliteration of its
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
(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
''Ham chim peng'' (), also spelt ''hum chim peng'', known in Singapore and Malaysia as ''haam ji peng'', ''hum ji peng'', or ''ham ji peng'', is a deep-fried hollow doughnut of Chinese origin. Commonly eaten as a breakfast food, it is sometimes fr ...
, 鹹煎餅), such as sardines in tomato sauce. The plain version is often eaten with sweet chili sauce or coconut and egg jam called ''
kaya'', or served with
bak kut teh (肉骨茶), porridge or rice
congee, sliced thinly to be dipped into the broth or congee and eaten.
Myanmar
The youtiao is also a popular breakfast food in
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
(Burma) where it is called ''e kya kway'' (အီကြာကွေး
tʒà ku̯éː . It is usually eaten with steamed yellow beans (with salt and oil). It is also usually dipped into coffee or tea. E kya kway is also eaten with rice porridge, or cut into small rings and used as a condiment for
mohinga.
Tea culture is very prevalent in Myanmar, and every shop will serve e kya kway for breakfast.
Some shops stuff meat into the youtiao and deep fry it over again. It is called ''e kya kway asar thoot'' – stuffed e kya kway.
Philippines
In the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, it is either known as ''Bicho'' / ''Bicho-Bicho'' (
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
: 米棗
Pe̍h-ōe-jī
(; ; ), also sometimes known as the Church Romanization, is an orthography used to write variants of Southern Min Chinese, particularly Taiwanese and Amoy Hokkien.
Developed by Western missionaries working among the Chinese diaspora in So ...
: bí-tsó) or ''
Shakoy'' / ''Siyakoy'' (
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
: 炸粿
Pe̍h-ōe-jī
(; ; ), also sometimes known as the Church Romanization, is an orthography used to write variants of Southern Min Chinese, particularly Taiwanese and Amoy Hokkien.
Developed by Western missionaries working among the Chinese diaspora in So ...
: 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 called ''
pilipit
Pilipit is a traditional Filipino deep-fried twisted doughnut. It is made with flour, eggs, milk, salt, and baking powder. It is made mostly identically to the shakoy doughnut, except for its crunchy and hard texture and its smaller and thinne ...
''.
Thailand
In
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, youtiao is generally called ''pathongko'' ( th, ปาท่องโก๋, ) due to a confusion with a different kind of dessert. ''Pathongko'' is a loanword adapted from either
Teochew Minnan ''beh teung guai'' (白糖粿; Mandarin: ''bái tángguǒ'') or
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
of ''baahktònggòu'' (白糖糕; Mandarin: bái tánggāo). However, both possible original names referred to a different dessert, the
white sugar sponge cake. It was previously sold together with youtiao by
street vendors who normally walked around and shouted both names out loud. However, Thai customers often mistakenly thought that the more popular youtiao was "''pathongko''". Eventually, the real ''pathongko'' disappeared 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 in
Trang Province in
Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , boun ...
under its original name while youtiao is still called "''chakoi''" or "''chiakoi''" by some Southerners.
In Thailand, ''pathongko'' is also dipped into condensed milk or, in the South, eaten with
kaya.
Vietnam
In
Vietnamese cuisine, it is known by a name that is a pronunciation similar to the Cantonese pronunciation, as ''dầu cháo quẩy'', ''giò cháo quẩy'' or simply ''quẩy''. 油 ("Dầu/giò"), 鬼 ("quỷ/quẩy") coming from the approximate Cantonese pronunciation. In Vietnam, "giò cháo quẩy" is eaten typically with congee, pho in Hanoi and sometimes with
wonton noodle (''mi hoanh thanh'').
See also
*
Fried dough foods
*
List of Chinese dishes
This is a list of Chinese dishes in Chinese cuisine.
Dishes by ingredient
Grain-based dishes
Noodles
Rice
Pork-based dishes
Poultry-based dishes
Vegetable-based dishes
Dishes by cooking method
Dumplings
Pastry
Soups, stews an ...
*
List of doughnut varieties
*
List of deep fried foods
*
List of snack foods
*
List of street foods
*
Zhaliang
*
Ci fan tuan
Cífàntuán () or simply, fantuan is a glutinous rice dish in Chinese cuisine originating in the Jiangnan area of eastern China which encompasses Shanghai and surrounding regions. It is made by tightly wrapping a piece of ''youtiao'' (fried dou ...
Other Chinese fried dough dishes
*
Ham chim peng
''Ham chim peng'' (), also spelt ''hum chim peng'', known in Singapore and Malaysia as ''haam ji peng'', ''hum ji peng'', or ''ham ji peng'', is a deep-fried hollow doughnut of Chinese origin. Commonly eaten as a breakfast food, it is sometimes fr ...
*
Ox-tongue pastry
Ox-tongue pastry () or horse-ear pastry (), also referred to as Chinese doughnut, is a Chinese pastry that is popular in south China in the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian. It is a fried dough food that is elliptical in shape and resembles a ...
*
Shuangbaotai
Shuangbaotai () or horse hooves is a sweet Taiwanese fried dough food with chewy dough containing large air pockets on the inside and a crisp crust on the outside. It is made by twisting two small pieces of dough together and frying them, causi ...
Notes
References
{{Thai cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Deep fried foods
Dim sum
Chinese doughnuts
Taiwanese cuisine
Thai desserts and snacks
Singaporean cuisine