Youtiao Chinese Savory Doughnuts Food

YOUTIAO (CHINESE SAVORY DOUGHNUTS)

Steps:

• Put all the dough ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough-hook attachment and knead on a low speed for 1-2 minutes. Then turn the speed up to medium and knead for a further 3 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Dust 1 Tbsp. of extra flour around the edges of the bowl to help bring the sticky dough off the sides, then tip the dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Knead it lightly with your hands for a minute, then put it back into the bowl and lightly rub it with 1 Tbsp. of oil. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Dust a 14-inch baking tray lightly with flour. After the dough has rested, tip it out on to a floured surface and roll it into a ¼-inch-thick rectangle, roughly the size of the baking tray. Lay the flattened rectangle of dough on the tray, cover with plastic wrap, then place in the fridge for 8 hours minimum, or overnight.
• Now remove the plastic wrap, dust the top of the dough with an additional 5 g (⅛ oz.) of baking powder, and rub it lightly all over the dough. Wet your hands with a little cold water and lightly rub over the dough once more with your wet hands. Using a knife or a dough cutter, cut the dough into roughly 1½ x ¾ inch strips. To make one doughnut, lay one strip directly over another (making sure that the surfaces with the extra baking powder are on the inside of the dough "sandwich"), then press down in the centre all along the length of dough with a thin chopstick or the back of a knife to stick the 2 pieces together before frying.
• Half-fill a wok or deep-fryer with vegetable oil and heat to 350°F, or use a wooden skewer or wooden chopstick to test by placing the tip in the oil: if the wood starts to fizz after a second or so, the oil is hot enough.
• Pick up the prepared strips and give the ends a light pull away from each other to stretch out the dough, then carefully lay them in the oil and hold them down with tongs or chopsticks so that they puff up as quickly as possible. Gently turn them around in the oil so they cook evenly. The dough sticks should bubble up and become airy very quickly. Deep-fry until golden brown all over. Then remove and drain on a few sheets of kitchen paper. These are traditionally served alongside a bowl of congee for some seriously savory carb loading.

HOMEMADE SOY MILK WITH YOUTIAO

Steps:

• Rinse the soybeans, put them in a medium bowl and pick through them to remove any dark-colored beans (which are spoiled). Add enough cold water to come 2 inches above the beans. Cover and soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 18 hours. Line a large mesh sieve with 2 layers of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag and set it over a large Dutch oven (see Cook's Note).
• Gently massage the beans to remove some of the skin. Repeat this step until most of the skins have come off. It is okay if some skins remain. Transfer the drained beans to a blender. Add 2 cups of cold water to just cover the beans. Blend on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add 2 more cups of cold water and blend on low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. (If your blender is not large enough to hold the entire contents, blend half the beans with 1 cup cold water and transfer to a bowl; repeat to blend the remaining beans and 1 cup water. Then blend this mixture again in 2 batches, each with another 1 cup of water, for a total of 4 cups water)
• Transfer half of the blended mixture to the lined sieve. Blend the remaining half with 2 more cups of cold water on low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.
• Stir the bean mixture in the sieve to let some liquid through and then gather the 4 corners of the cheesecloth or the top of the nut bag together in a bunch and twist to close. Gently press and squeeze on the cheesecloth or nut bag to extract the soy milk into the pot. Pour the remaining bean mixture into the cheesecloth or nut bag and repeat the same action to extract more soy milk. During straining, try not to squeeze too hard as the mixture can burst out of the top of the cheesecloth or nut bag and become messy quickly.
• Gently unwrap the cheesecloth or nut bag, break up the bean paste into smaller pieces, slowly pour another 4 cups of cold water over the bean paste and mix until combined. Wrap the cheesecloth or nut bag again and gently squeeze out as much soy milk as possible. Reserve the bean paste for another use (see Cook's Note).
• Bring the soy milk to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching the bottom. Lower the heat to medium and let simmer, skimming the foam from the top as needed, until the soy milk has slightly reduced and doesn't taste bitter, about 20 minutes. Skim foam occasionally as needed.
• For sweetened soy milk, stir in the sugar if using and 1/2 teaspoon salt. For savory soy milk, omit the sugar and stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Enjoy the soy milk while it's hot or let cool completely and then refrigerate in an airtight container for at least 8 hours and up to 5 days.
• When ready to serve, preheat the oven or a toaster oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the frozen youtiaos on a baking sheet until crisp, about 5 minutes. If desired, heat the soy milk in a medium pot over medium-high heat until steaming, 4 to 5 minutes. Enjoy the soy milk cold or hot with the youtiao.

YOUTIAO (CHINESE DEEP FRIED DONUTS)

Steps:

• Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in water.
• Lightly knead dough. Loosely cover for about 20 minutes, or enough time for the dough to rise.
• On floured surface, roll the dough into 2 inch wide and 14 inch long strips. Twist together in pairs, pinching the ends. Holding each end of twists, pull until 9 inches long.
• Deep fry each twist in peanut oil until golden brown (about 25 seconds).
• Let cool and eat.