quẩy

''Youtiao'' (), known in Southern China as yu char kway, is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of wheat flour 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 easily separated by hand. ''Youtiao'' are normally eaten at breakfast as an accompaniment for rice congee, soy milk or cow's milk blended with sugar. ''Youtiao'' may also be known as a Chinese cruller, Chinese oil stick, Chinese donut ticks'', and fried breadstick, among others.

In other Asian countries, they may also be called ''bicho, you char kway, cakwe, cakoi, kueh, kuay, shakoy'' or ''pathongko'', among other names.

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 rice flour 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

Cambodia

In Cambodia, it is called ''cha kway'' () 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.

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, 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 literally means "Oil-fried devil".

Folk etymology

The Cantonese name 油炸鬼 () is, according to folklore, an act of protest against Song dynasty official Qin Hui, who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general Yue Fei, an icon of patriotism in 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 Mandarin, the name 油炸燴 () from folklore literally means "oil-fried Hui" in protest of his actions. The Cantonese pronunciation ''yàuh ja gwái'' rhymes with this Mandarin pronunciation.

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.

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 congee) 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 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 as ''cakoi'', an alteration of the Minnan term, ''char kway''. The name ''pathongko'' (see Thailand) is more common in the northern states of Kedah, Perlis and Penang, ''kayu khamak'' or ''kuduh'' in Terengganu, ''kocok'' in Pahang and Perak and ''cakuwe'' in Kelantan. ''Cakoi'' is 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.

Myanmar

The youtiao is also a popular breakfast food in Myanmar (Burma) where it is called ''e kya kway'' (အီကြာကွေး � tʒà ku̯éː. It is usually eaten with steamed yellow beans (with salt and oil) or dipped into coffee or tea, or with condensed milk(နို့ဆီ). E kya kway is also eaten with rice porridge, or cut into small rings and used as a condiment for mohinga. 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 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''.

Singapore

In Singapore, it is known as ''yu char kway'', which is the transliteration of its 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'', 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.

Taiwan

In Taiwan, Youtiao is often known by its Hokkien name (油炸粿 ''iû-tsiā-kué'') and is a popular breakfast item throughout Taiwan. Youtiao are usually sandwiched into shaobings or cut into sections and wrapped in rice balls, or eaten with almond milk, soy milk, and douhua for breakfast. It is also an essential ingredient for Tainan-style congee and salty soy milk, and it is also an indispensable ingredient for Tainan beef soup and as a side for Taiwanese-style spicy hot pot.

Thailand

In Thailand, youtiao is generally called ''pathongko'' (, ) 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 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 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. In some provinces, such as Chanthaburi and Kanchanaburi, ''pathongkos'' are eaten with sweet and sour dipping sauce, considered a local delicacy.

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 or ''phở'' in Hanoi, and sometimes with wonton noodle (''mì hoành thánh'' or ''mì vằn thắn''). In Southern Vietnam, quẩy is often enjoyed with '' bánh canh cua'', or dipped in hot soymilk as a quick breakfast.

See also

* Fried dough foods
* List of Chinese dishes
* List of doughnut varieties
* List of deep fried foods
* List of snack foods
* List of street foods
* Zhaliang
* Ci fan tuan

Other Chinese fried dough dishes

* Ham chim peng
* Ox-tongue pastry
* Shuangbaotai

Explanatory notes

References

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