Chinese Crullers

Youtiao

You tiao, you char kway or yau ja gwai (油炸粿) is a long, golden-brown, deep fried strip of dough in Chinese cuisine. Youtiao are normally eaten as an accompaniment for rice congee and bak kut teh or dip soy milk or black coffee for breakfast. It is usually sold in morning street markets or "pasar malam".

Frying youtiao

The Cantonese name yàuhjagwái literally means "oil-fried ghost" 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. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_tiao)

A youtiao stall in pasar malam Taman Megah. This stall also sells ham chim peang and chin tui.

Chow Yang Cruller Stall

The best cruller is in Chow Yang SS2  Jalan SS 2/6, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. It is in front of the 4D and laundry shop. This roadside stall is run by a husband, wife and son team. They sells youtiao and ham chim peng (without filling, with tau sar and glutunious rice). Their crullers are crunchy and not oily. There's usually a long queue, especially if you are ordering the youtiao. What we normally do is to place order with the son and drop by at Chow Yang coffeeshop to have our meal and collect our order after that. They are usually open in the morning and sometimes at night too.