Youtiao

Crispy, golden brown, chewy, and oh-so-delicious! Switch things up a bit and try making this tasty Youtiao Recipe this week.

Bustling streets filled with motorbikes. Street vendors yelling out order numbers. Aunties gathering around fruit stands, trying to get the best deals on lychee and mangoes. This was the atmosphere in which I took my first bite of a crispy youtiao. I was in Hong Kong with my grandmother, and we stopped by a soy milk vendor who was pouring piping hot drinks into chipped ceramic mugs and tossing a long, crispy, golden brown youtiao into each. Obviously, being born and raised in America, my first thought of youtiao was “oh, it’s a doughnut”—however, it’s much more than the sugary delights piled high in the bakery cases back home. 

For those of you who don’t know, youtiao is a deep-fried Chinese dough stick made from wheat flour. They are super popular throughout Asia and often eaten with congee (rice porridge) or soy milk for breakfast. Crispy and golden brown on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, youtiao’s delicious texture and scrumptious flavor can easily drown out any background noise. 

A few weeks ago, I was feeling a bit nostalgic about that trip to Hong Kong, and I decided the only way to settle those blues was to make this youtiao recipe. The flavor, texture, and smell were exactly how I remember them. Instead of drowning out the noise, my first bite took me back to the busy food markets of the city, and the sound of bubbling oil was therapeutic. If you can’t make it to Hong Kong to try youtiao freshly made streetside, trust me, this recipe is just as good.

My dough is super sticky! What should I do?

If your dough is really sticky after the resting period and is difficult to roll out without getting it all over your fingers, then I recommend letting it rest for another 30 minutes at room temperature. Depending on the temperature of your room, the flour in the dough may need more time to fully hydrate and absorb the liquid, which will make it much easier to handle and roll out smoothly. You can also incorporate a sprinkle of flour into the dough if it’s still too sticky to work with. Be sure to add it in gradually, like one teaspoon at a time, to avoid making your dough too dry or tough.  

How do I store leftovers? 

You can store any leftover youtiao in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also stash them in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, you can either put them in an oven at 375°F for about 5-10 minutes or in an air-fryer at 375°F for 5-8 minutes to restore their crispy texture. If you’re reheating directly from frozen, it might take a bit longer to get crispy once more. 

Serving suggestions

Anytime I make this youtiao recipe, I love eating it with a cup of steaming hot soy milk or barley tea. In Asia, it’s quite common to serve it alongside rice porridges and soups like this Congee Recipe and this Chinese Vegetable Soup. You can also enjoy it as a snack on its own or chop it up and incorporate it into stir-fries and wraps. 

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