Learn how to make Chinese doughnuts, also known as youtiao, right at home! This easy recipe will have you enjoying these crispy and fluffy treats in no time.
There’s an interesting legend behind Chinese doughnuts. History has it that Qin Hui and Lady Wang are the most hated husband and wife during the Song Dynasty. They conspired with foreign invaders against China’s greatest general, Yue Fei. People hate wicked Mr. And Mrs. Qin so much, that they make voodoo dough into a pair, and deep-fry them.
** The original video had a soundtrack problem, so I re-edited it and please enjoy it! :D
Serve 6 to 8 pieces Prep Time: 30 minutes Rest Time: overnight, and 2 hours and 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
For the dough: 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder (aluminum-free) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg 3/4 cup cold milk (it depends on the humidity level, so try between ½ to ¾ cup) 1 tablespoon canola oil
Others: 4 cups canola oil, for frying 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, for dusting
In a large mixing bowl, add in the sifted flour,
baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lightly mix. Add in the egg and mix again.
Pour in half of the milk and lightly mix. Add in another half of the milk and mix again.
Now we're going to use our hand to knead until it becomes a dough, about 3 minutes.
There's an interesting legend behind You Tiao. History has it that Qin Hui and Lady Wang
are the most hated husband and wife during the Song Dynasty.
So what did they do? They conspired with foreign invaders against China's greatest general,
Yue Fei. Now we're going to cover up with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, the dough should feel much softer.
And we're going to knead again until it's smooth, about 2 minutes.
So yeah, people hate these wicked Mr. and Mrs. Qin so much
that they make wudu dough into a pair and deep fry them. Wow, that must hurt so much.
Now we're going to transfer the dough into a large ziploc bag,
and let it rest in the fridge for overnight.
The next day, you want to take out the dough and leave under room temperature for 2 hours.
On your working surface, dust a layer of all-purpose flour on it.
First, we're going to fold this in half, and then pat it with your hands into a rectangle shape.
So it is about 1 inch thick, 4 inches wide, and about 14 to 16 inches long.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has great articles about General Yue Fei
and the wicked Mr. and Mrs. Qin. I will put the links down in the description box,
just in case if you're interested to learn more about them.
Now we're going to cut the dough into 1 inch strips.
Dip a chopstick in water, and tap it in the center of each strip,
to make sure the center will glue together nicely.
And we're going to dust the sides of the strips with flour, so that the sides won't stick together.
Place the strips together in pairs, with one on top of each other.
Use the chopstick to press down through the center of each pair.
Lightly stretch each pair to about 8 inches long.
In a large pot, or a wok, add about 4 cups of oil. For me today, I'm using canola oil.
You can test the oil temperature by putting a little piece of dough inside,
and within a few seconds, the dough flows right up, that means the oil is ready.
And once it is hot enough, we're going to transfer the dough into the oil.
And we're going to deep fry until golden brown and puffy.
Constantly turn with your chopsticks for about 3 minutes,
and you want to do the same with the rest of the dough.
