These fried bread sticks, known as 油条 (youtiao), are a family breakfast favorite often enjoyed with dim sum. This recipe from Ominvore’s Cookbook is praised for achieving a taste and crunch similar to freshly fried versions.
Sift the dry ingredients together, then add the water and egg white. Mix until the dough starts to just come together. Knead the dough until no more sticks to the side of the bowl, and keep kneading for another 5 minutes. Cover the dough in an airtight container or plastic wrap and rest for 30 mins. Knead again for 5 mins and cover to rest for another 2 hours or overnight in the fridge. If resting overnight, let the dough come back to room temperature - should take a few hours. If the dough is too cold, it won’t crisp up properly! While the dough is resting or coming to room temp, get your oil ready. Heat the oil in a wok or a pot with a wide opening, until oil reaches 375F. Come back to the dough and roll out into a large rectangle. Slice the dough into 1 inch wide strips. Stack the strips on top of each other and use a chopstick to press down on the center so that the dough strips stick to each other. Cover the sticks with a towel or plastic wrap and rest for another 10 minutes before frying. If needed, cut the larger strip into smaller strips so that they perfectly fit the opening of your pot. If you don’t, the sticks will curl and won’t have that signature straight shape! Gently drop the sticks into the hot oil and let them fry until golden brown on all sides. Set on a wire rack after frying and serve fresh, with a glass of soy milk.
