Youtiao
Youtiao (simplified Chinese: 油条; traditional Chinese: 油條; pinyin: Yóutiáo; lit. 'oil strip'), sometimes called fried bread stick, is a long, golden-brown, deep fried strip of dough in Chinese cuisine and is usually eaten for breakfast. In Cantonese-speaking areas it is known locally as yau ja gwai (油炸鬼 ; Cantonese pronunciation: yau4 ja3 gwai2 ?; lit. "oil-fried devil"). It is also known as guǒzi (果子) in nothern China. In Singapore it is known by its Hokkien name, u char kway (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: iû-chia̍h-kóe). It is also a popular breakfast food in Myanmar (Burma), where it is called e kya kway.
Conventionally, youtiao are lightly salted and made so they can be torn lengthwise in two. Youtiao are normally eaten as an accompaniment for rice congee or hot unsweetened soy milk.
History
The Cantonese name yau ja gwai literally means oil-fried devil and, according to tradition, is an act of protest against Song Dynasty official Qin Hui (秦檜, Cantonese: Chun Kui), who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general Yue Fei (岳飛), an icon of patriotism in Chinese culture. It is said that the food 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 word yau ja gwai is believed to be a corruption of yau ja Kui (油炸檜, Mandarin pronunciation: yóuzhá Huì; lit. oil-fried Qin Hui), possibly because the population were afraid to openly declare their contempt towards the corrupt official; nevertheless, the food became a tool in expressing contempt.
Variants
At breakfast, youtiao can be stuffed inside shaobing (燒餅, pinyin: shāobǐng; lit. roasted flatbread) to make a sandwich.
Youtiao wrapped in a rice noodle roll is known as ja leung (炸兩; Cantonese pronunciation: ja3 leung5 ?; Mandarin : zháliǎng ?lit. fried double ) and is served cut into pieces that are sprinkled with soy sauce and dipped in hoisin or a sesame paste to the likes of tahini as dim sum or a breakfast dish.
Cow-tongue pastry (牛脷酥) is similar but elliptical in shape like ox tongue and tastes sweet, whereas youtiao is consumed with both sweet and savory foods such as sweet soy milk or congee. Like youtiao, cow tongue pastry is a popular breakfast food.
Youtiao is also an important ingredient of the food ci fan tuan in Shanghai cuisine.
It is sometimes called chopstick cake by some Cambodian-Chinese immigrants in Australia because of its resemblance to a pair of chopsticks.