''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 Asian 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 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, 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 and southern China, northern China. In Min Nan-speaking areas, such as Taiwan, 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-speaking areas this is rendered as ''yàuh ja gwái'' (油炸鬼), where ''gwái'' literally means "devil" or "ghost".

Folk etymology

The Cantonese name ''yàuh ja gwái'' literally means "oil-fried devil" and, according to folklore, is an act of protest against Song Dynasty (960-1279), Song Dynasty official Qin Hui (Song Dynasty), Qin Hui, who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general Yue Fei, an icon of patriotism in Culture of China, Chinese 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 from Guangzhou being the last resistance front before the Song dynasty collapsed.

Cambodia

In Cambodia, it is called ''cha kway'' ( km, ឆាខ្វៃ) and usually dipped in ''kuy teav'', Congee#Cambodia, congee or coffee. Some Chinese Cambodians, 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, cakwe is usually sold as a street snack at Street food of Indonesia, kaki lima, usually at the same stalls that sell ''bolang-baling'' or ''roti goreng'' (sweet fried dough) and ''untir-untir'' (Javanese language, Javanese version of ''Mahua (snack), 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 ''#Thailand, 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 as ''cakoi'', an alteration of the Minnan term, ''char kway''. The name ''patongko'' or ''paktongko'' (see #Thailand, Thailand) is more common in the northern states of Kedah, Perlis and Penang. ''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, it is known as ''yu char kway'', which is the transliteration of its Southern Min, Hokkien (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 called ''Kaya (jam), 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 (Burma) where it is called ''e kya kway'' (အီကြာကွေး [ì 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, it is either known as ''Bicho'' / ''Bicho-Bicho'' (Hokkien: 米棗 Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bí-tsó) or ''Shakoy'' / ''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 called ''pilipit''.

Thailand

In Thailand, 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 dialect, Teochew Southern Min, Minnan ''beh teung guai'' (白糖粿; Mandarin: ''bái tángguǒ'') or Standard Cantonese, Cantonese 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 hawker (trade), 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 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 Coconut jam, 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'').

Notes

References

{{Thai cuisine Chinese cuisine Deep fried foods Dim sum Chinese doughnuts Taiwanese cuisine Thai desserts and snacks Singaporean cuisine