Huai'an Fine Fried Dough Twists 淮安茶馓

Huai'an Fine Fried Dough Twists (淮安茶馓) are golden, thread-like strands of fried dough traditionally eaten with tea between meals. In Huai'an (淮安), shops on Huzui Street (湖嘴大街) in Hexia Ancient Town (河下古镇) prepare this crisp snack in a variety of shapes.

Yue Yunfei’s fine strands

At Yuejia Chasan (岳家茶馓), Yue Yunfei (岳云飞) winds strands of dough around bamboo sticks before lowering them into hot oil. In the demonstration described by CRI Online, the linked golden loops form in less than a minute. Yue uses red-wheat flour and a blend of rapeseed and sesame oils, replacing the white-wheat flour and pure sesame oil of the earlier recipe.

Shapes and newer flavours

Yue has researched family techniques for chrysanthemum and fan shapes, making the finished pieces small and intricate. Yue Jianfeng (岳健锋) has also developed seaweed and spicy flavours sold in individual packs. These extend a snack whose tea-time use gives chasan its name.