Sachima ( zh, t=, p=Shāqímǎ) is a sweet snack in Chinese cuisine made of fluffy strands of fried Batter (cooking), batter bound together with a stiff Inverted sugar syrup, sugar syrup. It originated in Manchuria and is now popular throughout China. It can also be found in Taiwan as well as overseas Chinese diasporas, most notably Malaysia and Singapore. Its decoration and flavor vary in different regional Chinese cuisines, but the appearance of all versions is essentially the same, somewhat similar to that of American Rice Krispies Treats.

Regional variations

Manchu

Originally, in Manchu cuisine ''sachima'' is a sweet snack. It mainly consists of flour, butter, and Rock candy, rock sugar. It is now popular in mainland China among children and adults.

Cantonese

The Cantonese cuisine, Cantonese pastry version of ''sachima'' is slightly sweet. It is also made of essentially the same ingredients as the other varieties of ''sachima''. It is often sprinkled with sesame seeds, raisins or dried coconut. The Cantonese variety of ''sachima'' ranges from chewy to crunchy in texture. Most overseas Chinese, overseas Chinatowns offer the Cantonese style of the pastry. It is commonly found in Hong Kong.

Fujian

Many of the Fujian distribution companies manufacture packaged versions of Sachima. This version has sesame and is made of wheat flour, vegetable oil, Egg (food), egg, milk, granular sugar, and malt sugar. The taste is comparatively plain compared to the more sweetened Cantonese version.

Mauritius

In Mauritius, sachima is called "gâteau macaroni" (lit. "macaroni cake"). It is a traditional Chinese cake sold and eaten by Mauritians of Chinese origin, Sino-Mauritians.

Myanmar (Burma)

A similar dish called ''mayway mont'' (မရွေးမုန့်), consisting of puffed grains of early ripened glutinous rice congealed into a mass with jaggery syrup, is a popular traditional Myanmar, Burmese snack or ''mont (food), mont''.

Vietnam

A similar dish called ''bánh bỏng gạo'' or ''khẩu sli'' consisting of puffed grains of early ripened glutinous rice congealed into a mass with sugar and ginger, sometimes used peanut. This is a traditional dessert of the Tày people, Tay and Giáy people, Giay people. It is also popular in the Northern Vietnam, northern provinces of Lai Châu province, Lai Chau, Cao Bằng province, Cao Bang, Bắc Giang province, Bac Giang.

Korea

A similar dish called ''oranda'' (오란다) consisting of puffed grains such as Pumpkin seed, pumpkin seeds and black sesame seeds, stuck together and sweetened with natural sugars like rice syrup and malt syrup, can be found in Korea. It is a popular gift for important events such as weddings, birthday parties, Korean New Year, ''Seollal'' and ''Chuseok''. Unlike ''sachima'' found in other places, ''oranda'' has a soft texture that is suitable for older consumers with weak gums and teeth to enjoy.

References

{{Burmese cuisine Chinese desserts Chinese pastries Manchu cuisine Mauritian cuisine Burmese desserts and snacks