July 9, 2012

油条 (yóutiáo)

The last three posts have all all been about grilling (yes, summer has arrived), so let's go a different direction for a moment, to the land of fried goodness.

On our quick trip back to the Bay Area for our niece's first birthday party, we had a chance to indulge in an old weekend tradition from by youth: yóutiáo (Chinese doughnuts) fresh from the fryer. The best yóutiáo are lightly crunchy on the outside, with soft, slightly elastic and airy interiors. When you get great yóutiáo, it's a magnificent combination of textures without feeling excessively greasy. Much like croissants, average-to-bad yóutiáo are abundant, but the best versions are elusive.

You can have them with rice porridge, but my favorite way to enjoy these golden batons of nutritional void is with a steaming bowl of sweetened soy milk. No wonder I was a big kid...



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