Youtiao – or Chinese cruller/oil stick/doughnut – has been the breakfast snack of Chinese communities throughout the globe. In multi-racial Singapore, the fried breadstick is enjoyed among locals across all cultures — dunking youtiao in soya bean milk or eating it with silky smooth beancurd is just pure morning bliss.
Fun fact: its actual origins can be traced back to China’s mythology about the legendary soldier Yue Fei.
Here’s a copypasta from Wikipedia:
“The Cantonese name literally means ‘oil-fried devil’ and, according to folklore, is an act of protest against Song Dynasty official Qin Hui, who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general Yue Fei, an icon of patriotism in Chinese culture. It is said that the food, originally in the shape of two human-shaped pieces of dough but later evolved into two pieces joined in the middle, 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.”
Yeah, okay, that’s pretty weird.
Sadly, the crisp art of making youtiao is dying out among vendors as younger generations become unwilling to make a career out of it. It’s definitely not helped by the difficult process of making good youtiao.
The following video by Our Grandfather Story features Mr Gan of Bedok South Food Centre’s Yong Hua You Tiao — he’s been making the fried breadsticks for the past 40 years. Check out his brief recount of his past with the crispy snack, his two cents on what makes a good Youtiao, and why it’s a tough job these days. It helps that there’s enough slow-mo footage of flying/frying youtiao to make you crave one this cold Friday afternoon.
