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Cakwe - Chinese Crullers

Chinese congee simply doesn't taste the same without cakwe (Chinese crullers/you tiao/油条), and you can make them easily and successfully with my recipe.
Ingredients to prepare cakwe/you tiao/Chinese crullers: all-purpose flour, egg, milk, oil, water, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Ingredients to prepare cakwe/you tiao/Chinese crullers: all-purpose flour, egg, milk, oil, water, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

The biggest drawback to living so far away from home is getting a hold of food I use to take for granted. Take this cakwe - Chinese crullers for instance, there are at least 2 shops within a hundred-meter radius just around my home in Indonesia selling them from early morning till late at night.

No one back home would think it is a necessity to even figure out how to make this. If you say you are frying up a batch of cakwe in your home, people will think that you must have too much time to spare.

Not so when you live halfway across the globe, suddenly there is a desperate need to scour and try every single recipe that you can grab, and tweak and experiment until you get the perfect result! And behold, I finally end up with this cakwe recipe that I am quite proud of :)

Step-by-step guide to shaping cakwe/Chinese crullers.
Step-by-step guide to shaping cakwe/Chinese crullers.

What is cakwe/you tiao/Chinese crullers and how to prepare this at home?

Cakwe/Chinese crullers are so common and popular in so many Asian countries. Because of this, it has so many different names: Chinese donuts/doughnuts, Chinese fried dough, Chinese fried bread sticks, and so on. We call them cakwe in Indonesia, which is basically Chinese Hokkien for fried cake!

From the name, you can probably guess that this is basically some sort of dough, shaped into sticks, and deep fried. And you will be 100% correct! :)

What will I need to make cakwe/you tiao at home?

You will only need some very basic and very common pantry ingredients to prepare Chinese crullers:

  • all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
  • egg
  • milk
  • baking soda
  • baking powder
  • salt
  • oil
  • water

Most cakwe recipe will call for bread flour, but you can get away with using all-purpose flour. If you are familiar with bread making, then you can tell that bread flour will give you a chewier and firmer result, while using all-purpose flour will make the bread softer and tenderer. What I am trying to say is, even if the only flour you are stocking at home is all-purpose, you will still get a good result! In fact, this batch is made with all-purpose flour, and not bread flour.

Glue two strips of dough into one cruller. I use the dull part of a butter knife, but you can use a chopstick too.
Glue two strips of dough into one cruller. I use the dull part of a butter knife, but you can use a chopstick too.

How do you shape cakwe/you tiao/Chinese crullers?

Prepare the dough

Before we can shape our cakwe, we need to prepare the dough by kneading all the ingredients together. The dough should not be sticky at all, and you want to knead until soft. Please start with 3 tablespoons of water and only increase the amount only if the dough is too dry.

Rest the dough

Shape the dough into roughly a rectangular shape, and wrap it with saran plastic and rest in the fridge for 4 hours. You must let the dough rest to relax the gluten. For the best result, I usually rest the dough overnight. Once you are ready to shape your crullers and fry them, you must remove the dough from the fridge and let it return to room temperature before continuing with the rest of the steps.

Shape the dough

Cakwe/Chinese crullers have a very distinct shape. And though it looks complicated, the steps are actually quite easy once we break it down:

  1. Roll the dough into a rectangle. I usually roll it to 12" long, 6" wide, with a thickness of 1/8".
  2. Cut into 14 strips, each 6" long.
  3. Stack 2 strips on top of one another. So we get a total of 7 stacks.
  4. Glue each stack by pressing the center of the two strips. You can use the dull part of a butter knife or a chopstick. You can refer to the photo below to clarify this particular step. :)
Cakwe/You Tiao/Chinese Crullers.
Cakwe/You Tiao/Chinese Crullers.

How do you fry cakwe/you tiao/Chinese crullers?

Chinese crullers are deep-fried dough, so we will need to prepare a pot of oil for deep frying. Traditionally, we deep fry crullers in a wok of at least 13" diameter. You can also use a frying pan too, but make sure the depth is at least 2" so you can fill the frying pan with at least 1" of oil. Here are the steps:

  1. Fill your wok or frying pan with at least 1" of oil, it is better if you can fill it with 2" of oil.
  2. Heat the oil on medium heat. The oil is ready once it reaches 200 Celsius (400 Fahrenheit).
  3. Gently hold the two ends of each stack of shaped crullers and pull it slightly to fit the length of your wok/pan. For example, if you use a 10" diameter frying pan, try to pull the dough to 9" long. Then carefully, drop the dough into the hot oil.
  4. Use a pair of cooking chopsticks, or a pair of stainless steel tongs, roll the dough continuously for about 30 seconds or until the crullers become golden brown.
    Tips: You can fry two crullers at a time if you start to get the hang of it. But for beginners, stick to frying one piece at a time. :)
  5. Remove the fried crullers and set over a wire rack to reduce excess oil.
Cakwe/You Tiao/Chinese Crullers.
Cakwe/You Tiao/Chinese Crullers.

What do you eat with cakwe/you tiao/Chinese crullers?

There are so many ways to enjoy cakwe/Chinese crullers.

In Taiwan, a traditional breakfast is pretty much a combination of Chinese crullers and hot soy milk.

Thinly sliced Chinese crullers are a popular topping for Chinese congee, such as pork congee or fish congee. If you have eaten some congee/porridge from a Chinese dim sum before, you may already know about this.

There is a popular dim sum item called cheong fun that has you tiao/Chinese crullers as its filling. In that case, the crullers are used as an ingredient.

In Indonesia, we also enjoy our bubur ayam (Indonesian chicken congee) with plenty of cakwe/crullers topping.

Served with bak kut teh, a popular Chinese herbal soup in Malaysia and Singapore.

Served with Malaysian/Singaporean rojak buah, which is different from Indonesian rujak buah. I won’t stop you, though, if you want to add some cakwe to your rujak buah. :)

Also, people buy these simply to snack on. In Indonesia, there are cakwe sellers that hang around the street corner around the clock so people can drop in and buy several to eat with their afternoon tea or coffee, or as a light snack for supper before going to bed.

Cakwe - Chinese Crullers

5.0 from 25 reviews

Author: Anita Jacobson

Categories:  

Cuisines: 

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

Serves: 7

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 200 gram bread flour (or all purpose flour)
  • 1 large egg (~ 55 gram)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon milk (~ 25 gram)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 3-5 tablespoon water

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients together (start with 3 tablespoon of water) in a mixing bowl, knead into a soft and smooth dough, adding more water only if necessary.
  2. Shape the dough into a roughly rectangular shape, cover it with a saran plastic wrap, and let it rest inside the fridge for 4 hours (overnight is best).
  3. Return the dough to room temperature. Flour your work surface, then turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Roll into a rectangle of 1/8" thickness (~ 1/2 cm) by 6" (~ 15cm) wide and 12" (~30cm) long , then cut into 14 strips.
  4. One portion of the cruller consists of 2 strips stack on top of one another, so we will end up with 7 portions.
  5. To glue together 2 stacks of dough into 1 cruller, use one chopstick (or the dull part of a butter knife), press the two pieces right through the center along its length.
  6. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a wok/frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot (200 Celsius/400 Fahrenheit), gently hold the two ends of each stack of crullers and pull it slightly to fit the length of your wok/frying pan. fry the crullers until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Drain over a wire rack to remove excess oil.
  7. Serve as is with soy milk, or cut into pieces and serve with congee.
Indonesian Pantry
Indonesian Kitchen

Comments

  • Romina Romina says:

    Looks so good! I’ve never heard of them before but definitely something I want to try.

  • Carissa Shaw Carissa Shaw says:

    These look so yummy! Thank you for the recipe. My daughter can't wait to snack on these!

  • Andrea Andrea says:

    These look so light and airy. Super delicious.

  • Erica Schwarz Erica Schwarz says:

    These look so interesting! I love cooking up a Chinese food night for my family, and now I'll have something to make for the bread basket.

  • veena Azmanov veena Azmanov says:

    I would love to try these with my kids. Cute and easy and looks delicious too.

  • Sadia Malik Sadia Malik says:

    these look super crispy and a good side to add to my recipe list

  • Krissy Allori Krissy Allori says:

    These are so good. I enjoyed making them and my family enjoyed eating them.

  • Sapana Sapana says:

    So delicious and easy to make!!

  • Candice Candice says:

    I've been making congee for a long time now, and was definitely missing out until I made these tasty cakwe. Wow. They are so crispy and wonderful. Can't wait to make them again!

    • Anita Anita says:

      Now that you know how to make these, you can enjoy your congee with some Chinese crullers. :)

  • cyndy cyndy says:

    Thank you for the very detailed instructions. These are new to me and I love all the photos - super helpful!

    • Anita Anita says:

      You are welcome, Cyndy. I'm glad the photos help. :)

  • Beth Beth says:

    I love that you were able to figure out how to make these! The ingredient list is so simple and you’ve made it look so easy to make!

  • Jeff the Chef Jeff the Chef says:

    How interesting! Chinese crullers are new to me. They sound delicious.

  • Triles Triles says:

    Ohh so glad to find this recipe! Saya hidup di Prancis dan baru saja minggu lalu ngomongin cakwe sama workmate orang China. We were drooling hahaha. And since we are on lockdown here, then I'll try to make these cakwe. Terima kasih!

  • Michi Michi says:

    Hi Anita, I love cakwe too! Do you have the recipe to make saus cabe nya? Like those we dip in back home? Tks!

  • Emily Liao Emily Liao says:

    I've always been intimidated to make these, but this recipe was so easy to follow along! The texture came out great - soft and crunchy.

  • Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says:

    Yum!! This uses all of the ingredients I have at home.
    I also used to buy this in a store by my house back when I lived in Vancouver, and have been missing it since I moved to Chicago. I will definitely be giving this a go soon :)

  • Cyndy Cyndy says:

    These look amazing - they kind of remind me of churros. Can't wait to try these this week!

  • Denay DeGuzman Denay DeGuzman says:

    While stuck at home, we've been craving all types of Chinese food! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe for Chinese Crullers. I'll be whipping up a batch of these tasty treats later this week.

  • Elaine Elaine says:

    Oh wow - I don't think I've ever tried Chinese crullers, but I am sure that I WILL now. They look absolutely amazing, and this recipe is such a breeze to follow. Thank you!

  • Minh Minh says:

    Thank you for the recipe! How do you store any leftovers and how long will they stay good?

    • Anita Anita says:

      I usually simply store any leftover in an airtight container in the fridge. It should be fine for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze them and they will be good for up to a month. To make them crispy again, you can reheat them in a 400 °F (200 °C) oven for 5 minutes (the ones from the fridge) or 8 minutes (the ones from the freezer).

  • Thania Thania says:

    Hey Anita, can we store any leftover dough in the freezer?

    • Anita Anita says:

      Hi Thania, I think it is better to store the fried crullers rather than the dough. Once the fried crullers are completely cool, store them in an airtight container. Please reheat at 200C (400F) in the oven/toaster oven until they are warm again. Please don't use a microwave to reheat since they will loose their crispiness.

  • Elaine Elaine says:

    Ooooh my! So flaky! Thanks for your detailed instructions--so easy to follow!

  • Carrie Robinson Carrie Robinson says:

    I had never heard of these before! They look so perfectly light and flaky. :)

  • Sharon Sharon says:

    These Chinese crullers are great for breakfast with a hot mug of tea or as a side to savory dishes. So good and easy to make!

  • Mahy Mahy says:

    Oh wow, I have never heard of this recipe. Definitely something I am excited to try over the weekend!

  • Vidya Narayan Vidya Narayan says:

    I had never heard of this until I saw your post. What a great recipe and love the step-wise instructions to nail the dish with perfection. Thanks, this was helpful.

  • Sauce Grandmaster Sauce Grandmaster says:

    It's nice to see the recipes from my hometown as a Chinese.

  • Mdm  Keng Mdm Keng says:

    Hi Anita, Thank you for your cakes recipe , looks simple n delicious. But I have been tried many different recipes but not successful, it comes out hard not puffy, it didn’t expands well, do you know which one went wrong? The temperature of the oil? Or the dough not smooth enough? I want to yr recipe, any tips ? Thanks.

    • Anita Anita says:

      Hi Mdm Keng, I couldn't be sure about other recipes, but there are several common culprits why cakwe didn't puff/expand.
      (1) The dough doesn't rest long enough, and the best way is to fully rest the dough overnight instead of just 2-4 hours.
      (2) The oil is not hot enough. Maintaining a pot of hot oil while frying is critical. It is best to fry 1-2 pieces at a time. Crowding the pot will decrease the oil temperature and is not desirable.
      (3) When gluing top and bottom pieces together, make sure only the center part is pinched. If the strips of dough feel too sticky, please dust with a little bit of powder before gluing the pieces to ensure only the center portion is glued.
      I hope these 3 tips can come in handy in your next trial. :)

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