Spanning 4 Gens: How This 100-Year-Old Family Biz In S’pore Makes 10,000 Youtiaos A Day
Homegrown dough fritter (youtiao) maker Xi De Li is one of the pioneers of the youtiao and dough food industry in Singapore. Now helmed by fourth-generation owners Adrian Koh, Valerie Koh and Pathom Koh, Xi De Li’s history actually dates all the way back to the 1920s.
Starting out as a push cart stall helmed by their great-grandmother, Xi De Li now runs a central kitchen that can produce up to 10,000 youtiaos a day. Today, the Xi De Li brand spans over 60 standalone and franchise outlets across Singapore, raking in a few millions of revenue a year. It started out as a pushcart stall along Chin Swee Road by their great grandmother in the 1920s. Along with the tradition of hand-kneading the dough, the stall was passed down to their grandmother in the 1940s. Subsequently in 1966, their father — who created the signature ‘butterfly bun’ as a token of love for his wife — took over the reins of the business. “Last time, there were only youtiao and ham chim peng (salty dough fritters). Our mother wanted a version in the shape of a butterfly so my father created it for her. It was a profession of love for her and I think it was very sweet,” said 41-year-old Valerie.
The family then decided to add the ‘butterfly bun’ to their product line-up. To date, they have retained the original recipe and taste of the butterfly bun. In 1980, they shifted to a Clementi food stall which is still operational today. It was formerly known as Jing Wen Tai You Tiao. A few decades later in 2006, the siblings — together with their younger brother — took over the business and rebranded it to Xi De Li. The name is derived from their father’s name “Xi” and the English word “Deli”.
History of Youtiao & Why I Only Call it You Cha Kway or Yau Cha Kwai
When I was a child in primary (elementary) school in 1960s Singapore, I remember my teacher told us about the legend behind you cha kway 油炸粿. It scared me a little when I was small.
I cannot remember much except that you cha kway got its name from an ancient Chinese story about a pair of husband and wife traitors who were punished by throwing them in boiling oil. So, though I always refer to Chinese deep fried crullers as you cha kway, I never quite knew the details of its history. Then recently, I noticed that the name you cha kway is less used and is replaced by the Mandarin name youtiao 油条. Over time, the story of you cha kway is fading away and may soon be forgotten. So, I decided to find out more about the story of you cha kway.
There are a few variations to the name of the fried pastry. The original is You Cha Hui 油炸檜 or Oil Fried Hui (as the traitor is Chin Hui). In Cantonese, it is Yau Cha Kwai 油炸鬼 or Oil Fried Devil. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is You Cha Kway 油炸粿 or Oil Fried Pastry.
You Zha Kueh: Why You Char Kways come in Pairs?
Ever wondered why You Char Kway always come in a pair? I mean it would be quite easy to make them as a single stick right? Why are they always paired?
Ah, the answer to this conundrum does not lie in the practicality of making sure that the You Char Kway doesn’t keep rolling around in the cauldron of boiling oil, although, I suspect that this might be the real reason. The answer actually lies in Chinese folklore where they represent the treacherous Chancellor Qin Hui and his wife who plotted the death of the great General Yue Fei. As a result, they made these dough sticks in the shape of the human form in pair and dunked them into hot oil to torture them. (sounds like Voodoo doesn’t it?) This is the reason why they are also known in Cantonese as Yao Char Guai (oil fried “Hui” which sounds like “ghosts” in Cantonese) as a sort of curse on the treacherous couple.
Speaking of You Char Kway, they are probably the most versatile of all fried dough. I love it in Porridge, Tau Suan, Bak Kut Teh, Cheong Fan or just by itself with a cup of kopi. There are not many other pastries, except maybe for a loaf of bread that is as versatile. It is perhaps also the simplest of the fried breads, consisting mainly of just flour, yeast, bicarb, salt and water. So what is it that gives You Char Kway its characteristic taste? I have always thought that they have a special spice that they add to the You Char Kway to give it that characteristic flavour, but most of the hawkers that I spoke to just said that there really isn’t anything special at all, except that you really only get that You Char Kway taste when you cook You Char Kway in bulk together with the other stuff like the Hum Chim Peng and Butterfly.
There's A Crazy Story Behind Why ‘Yau Char Kwai’ Translates Into ‘Oil-Fried Devils’
Cakoi, yau char kwai, youtiao... No matter what you call it, the traditional deep-fried snack has been a breakfast staple for the Chinese for as long as any of us could remember.
Usually served for breakfast with rice congee or dipped in soy milk, the long golden-brown snack is also eaten with bak kut teh or simply to munch on when you're feeling peckish. Consumed in China and of course, Malaysia, the deep-fried strips of dough is also a popular street food in other Asian countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Taiwan.
The origin of yau char kwai actually dates back to the Song Dynasty, in which the snack was eaten as a form of protest against corrupt minister Qin Hui, who was said to have orchestrated a plot to kill a national patriot.
YOUTIAO (CHINESE OIL STICK)-CHINESE CRULLER
Youtiao is also known as Chinese oil stick or Chinese cruller is a traditional Chinese breakfast. Youtiao in fact is deep-fried Chinese breadstick.The perfect match with Youtiao is soy milk. Once the breadstick soaks in the soy milk, the bouffant texture will absorb the soy milk and thus creating a very special taste.
Since Youtiao is deep-fried, so it is not so popular as the old days. But it can always bring happy memories. We ate youtiao and soy milk almost every day when I was still a high school student. I start my journey by using a yeast version, but soon or later, I find it is quite hard to handle the yeast youtiao dough. So after reading several “academic” papers about how to make youtiao, I turn my option to baking powder version. This is the new version and it is quite easier to handle.
Let's start with my conclusions after testing and reading: the inflation of youtiao is due to carbon dioxide and ammonia released by the agent (there is specialized youtiao agent, but we are using baking powder) after chemical reactions. When the gas is generated, the dough expands based on the elasticity and ductility of the gluten. So we need to overlay two pieces together and press a mark in center. When heated by the hot oil, the outside get settled quickly. While the inner part is still cooler and soft, so the dough can continually expand with the effects of gas.
Youtiao
Youtiao (traditional Chinese: 油 條; simplified Chinese: 油 条; pinyin: Yóutiáo), known in Southern China as Yu Char Kway is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of wheat flour dough of Chinese origin and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other East and Southeast Asian cuisines. Conventionally, youtiao are lightly salted and tearable. Youtiao are normally eaten at breakfast[3] as an accompaniment for rice congee, soy milk or regular milk blended with sugar. Youtiao may also be known as a Chinese cruller, Chinese oil stick, Chinese donut [sticks], and fried breadstick, among others.
In other Asian countries, they may also be called bicho, you char kway, cakwe, cakoi, kueh, kuay, shakoy or pathongko, among others. At breakfast, youtiao can be stuffed inside shāobǐng (traditional Chinese: 燒 餅; simplified Chinese: 烧 饼; lit. 'roasted flatbread') to make a sandwich known as shāobǐng yóutiáo (traditional Chinese: 燒 餅 油 條; simplified Chinese: 烧 饼 油 条). Youtiao wrapped in a rice noodle roll is known as zháliǎng. In Yunnan, a roasted riceflour pancake usually wrapped around a youtiao is known as erkuai (traditional Chinese: 燒 餌 塊; simplified Chinese: 烧 饵 块). Yet another name for a sandwich variant is jianbingguǒzi (traditional Chinese: 煎 餅 果 子; simplified Chinese: 煎 饼 果 子; lit. 'youtiao and fried bread').
Youtiao is occasionally dipped into various liquids, for example the soup xidoufen, soy milk (sweet or salty), and soy sauce. Youtiao is also an important ingredient of the food Cífàn tuán in Shanghai cuisine. Tánggāo (Chinese: 糖 糕), or "sugar cake", is a sweet, fried food item similar in appearance to youtiao but shorter in length. In Thailand, youtiao or pathongko (ปาท่องโก๋) in Thai are eaten for breakfast with soy milk or porridge.
Hum Jin Pang: S$1 Old-School Fritters In Maxwell Food Centre
This is a special one. Hum Jin Pang might look like a normal hawker stall at Maxwell Food Centre but this is anything but your usual food stall. Loosely translated from Cantonese, hum jin pang means ‘fried dough fritters’.
These large, deep-fried golden puffy fritters that make a great snack when you’re on the go. At least, that’s how I like to eat them. Given that Maxwell Food Centre is known for its chicken rice, it’s not hard to imagine why this gem of a stall is often overlooked. Pre-Circuit Breaker days, not only was Hum Jin Pang a purveyor of old-school fritters but they also allowed their customers to fry up their fritters. Given how protective hawkers are about their wares, this kind of DIY amongst hawkers is practically unheard of. It turns out, this all started when customers would help the stall owners fry up these fritters on busy days. This then turned into one of Hum Ji Pang’s trademarks and speciality concepts.
When you walk up to the Hum Ji Pang, you’ll see a wok right in the middle table and even a pair of long chopsticks where customers used to have a go and frying these goodies. Of course, since we are in the middle of the ‘Circuit Breaker’ period, frying your own fritters is not allowed. While I would love to fry my own fritters, the main event is actually eating those crispy ham chin peng. You’ll notice one of the stall owners continuously rolling out these fritters and tossing them into the hot oil. I don’t think it gets any fresher than that
CANTONESE FRIED DOUGH – 咸 煎 饼 (HAM CHIM PENG)
Ham Chim Peng (pronounced in Cantonese more like, “hahm jeen baeng“) is one of those foods that I had many, many years ago and promptly forgot about. Apparently, everyone else has forgotten about it as well, which means the younger generations haven’t had the pleasure of trying this crispy fried Chinese beignet treat. These days, it’s difficult to find it anywhere…even in Chinatown!
The distinctive look and flavor of Ham Chim Peng comes from the key ingredient: the red-colored Chinese fermented bean curd (南 腐 乳), or “bean cheese.” Its unique flavor is slightly different than that of it’s “cousin,” white fermented bean curd. Ultimately, it adds a great deal of taste to the dough. (We’ve already used it in a few recipes on the blog: Chinese Fried Ribs, Braised Pork Belly with Arrowroot, and Buddha’s Delight. Have a look!)
Fermented bean cheese is usually served with porridge. Shanghainese people like to eat it with pao fan (泡 饭)–leftover rice boiled with water. Funnily enough, Cantonese Fried Dough is usually also served with porridge as a breakfast meal. Personally, I like to eat it as is! I recently posted a Chinese Fried Dough (Youtiao) recipe. This recipe is much easier by comparison. It should take less than an hour from start to finish.
Ham chim peng
Ham chim peng (Chinese: 鹹 煎 餅; Chinese: 咸 煎 饼; pinyin: xiánjiānbǐng; Jyutping: haam4 zin1 beng2; lit. 'salty fried pancake'), also spelt hum chim peng, known in Singapore and Malaysia as haam ji peng, hum ji peng, or ham ji peng, is a deep-fried hollow doughnut of Chinese origin. Commonly eaten as a breakfast food, it is sometimes fried with a coating of sesame seeds.
There are at least 3 varieties of ham chin peng - with glutinous rice, five spice powder and red bean paste.
The pastry is eaten throughout Southeast Asia; it is known by various local names, including Indonesian: kue bantal, and Vietnamese: bánh tiêu
The Butterfly Fritter: You Char Kway’s lesser known sibling!
I’ve been re-awakened to the simple pleasures of the butterfly fritter (beh hei ji) lately. I have always enjoyed them, but they have never really shared the same limelight has their older sibling, the youtiao. I guess it’s because youtiao is much more versatile, as it appears in other dishes like rojak, pork porridge and tau suan whereas, the butterfly fritter is a standalone snack.
A freshly fried butterfly fritter with a cup of kopi is as satisfying as a churros, croissant or doughnut and coffee! They are, after all, different cultural adaptations of deep fried dough. (Ok, a croissant is not deep fried, but with the amount of butter it contains, it might as well be!)
My regular place to buy butterfly fritters is at the wet market I frequent at Lor Ah Soo, Seng Hock! It’s a very under-the-radar third generation hawker stall that still makes everything by hand. The current hawker took over the reins from his dad who in turn took over from his father in law who used to ply his fritters in Chai Chee in the 60’s.
I’ve been re-awakened to the simple pleasures of the butterfly fritter (beh hei ji) lately.
I have always enjoyed them, but they have never really shared the same limelight has their older sibling, the youtiao.Read the full story at: http://bit.ly/ieatSengHock
When was the last time you had a butterfly fritter and kopi! I reckon it is just as good as a doughnut, churros or croissant and coffee!
Dough Culture 小 麦 家
Butterfly buns—also known as beh hei ji—are traditional vegetarian street snacks that can be found in Malaysia and Singapore.
Sweet dough are shaped as butterflies, then deep fried till crisp, fluffy and coated with sesame seeds.
Head to any of our outlets and experience butterflies in your stomach
Youtiao & Fried Butterfly
What is your favourite local snack whenever you walk past the hawker centers or coffee shops? For me, sometime I love to get hold of either one of these "Youtiao - 油 条" or "Butterfly Bun - 麻 煎／花 煎" together with a cup of Black Coffee(Kopi O) to start off my day before attending those piles or work.
Youtiao - 油 条 is a deep-fried dough stick which has a crispy crust on the outer surface, tender and fluffy when bite. Usually this is eaten during breakfast together with congee or soy milk but some of the people like me would love to dip it with Coffee before eating. There are also many other ways of eating this snack, for example:- Youtiao Rojak(a kind of salad dish that is commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore) or Deep-Fried Sotong Youtiao and etc.
Butterfly Bun - 麻 煎／花 煎 has a similar texture like Youtiao but it is smaller in size and it is coated with some sesame seeds to give it that extra fragrance and taste. This butterfly bun has a slighter sweeter taste compare to Youtiao and I love to eat this while it is still hot which will give it a better taste.
