Youtiao/Chinese Cruller/Chinese Oil Stick

This week's posts are going to be Chinese foods, if you are a follower of my blog, you might know about my love for Chinese cuisine and their delicious foods. Am kickstarting this week's blogging marathon with Youtiao, fried breadsticks as i picked Chinese dishes you can make at home as theme. These bread sticks are simple to make and its completely yeast free, eventhough some Chinese cruller aka bread sticks calls for yeast. Youtiao is literally means 'Oil fried Ghost',and this recipe have a story behind it. History says that Mr and Mrs Qin were the most hated couple during the time of Song Dynasty. Since Chinese people have hated the Qins so much, they have made this breadsticks as they want to deep fry them and dunk them into warm sweetened soyamilk.Coming to this Youtiao recipe, this bread sticks are eaten by Chinese peoples everyday either for their breakfast, as a snack or as a starter in many resautrants.

Though yeasted youtiao dough do exists, my today's post is completely yeast free. Yes this baking powder version is quite easy to handle. The inflation of Youtiao is due to carbon dioxide and ammonia released by the baking powder after the chemical reactions. Hence this bread sticks when fried makes excellent airy Youtiao and shaping this deep fried bread sticks calls for overlaying two pieces together, press a mark in the center and frying them slowly in hot oil helps a lot to expands continously with the effects of the gas.

Recipe Source: China Sichuan Food
2cups All purpose flour
1tsp Baking powder
1/2tsp Baking soda
1/2cup Milk
2tbsp Oil
1/2tsp Salt
1Egg
Oil for deep frying

Take all the ingredients together in a bowl and knead well until it turns smooth. Knead for 10minutes until the dough turns elastic, shape it as a ball.

Wrap it and keep in fridge for overnight.

Next day morning, bring the dough to the room temperature (it may takes atleast 2hours).

Dust a slightly a board and shape the dought into a rectangle. Now cut the rectangle as strips around 3cm wide.

Lay one strip over an another strip, give a press lengthwise with a chopstick.

Meanwhile, heat oil for deepfrying, now hold the two ends of the strops, slightly twist so that they can stick together.

Drop the strips into the oil. Fry on every side until its turns golden brown.

Remove the excess of oil with a paper towel.

Serve with soyamilk.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#72