Beijing Youcha

Beijing Youcha

　　    Youcha is also a nutritious snack in Beijing. It is made by stir-frying flour in a pan until it turns yellow, and roasting sesame seeds until they are golden brown. Osmanthus flowers and beef bone marrow oil are added, then mixed evenly. The well-blended flour mixture is placed in a bowl, sugar is added, and hot water is poured in to create a porridge-like consistency. Youcha has a sweet flavor and can be enjoyed as a breakfast or afternoon snack, and is very popular among the locals.

　　    — How to Make Beijing Youcha —

　　    Ingredients: 400g rice, 10g red chili powder, 100g glutinous rice, 25g ginger, 250g standard wheat flour, 25g chopped scallions, 150g cooking oil, 3g baking soda, 150g sesame seeds, 25g dry starch, 50g pickled mustard tuber, 15 eggs, 75g Sichuan salt, 15g sesame oil, 5g Sichuan peppercorns

　　    Instructions:

　　    1. In a pot, bring 3kg of water to a boil. Add 10g of ginger slices and one scallion tied into a knot. Once boiling, skim off the foam and remove the scallion and ginger. Then remove the pot from the heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the ground rice and glutinous rice flour. Return the pot to high heat until boiling, then simmer over low heat until it becomes a thick porridge-like youcha paste.

　　    2. Mix 500g of standard wheat flour with 5g salt and 3g baking soda. Add 200g of water and knead into a smooth dough. Let it rest for 1 hour, then shape it into strips. Brush with cooking oil and coil the dough. Heat cooking oil in a pan to 70% heat, pull the rested dough into 50g pieces, stretch them into thin strands like ropes, coil them, and deep-fry in oil to make youcha sanzi (crispy fried dough twists).

　　    3. Heat cooking oil in a pan until hot, then scoop some into Sichuan peppercorns and chili powder separately to make pepper oil and chili oil. Roast sesame seeds and grind them into a fine powder. Chop the pickled mustard tuber into fine grains, and mince 15g of ginger.

　　    4. When serving, beat an egg in a bowl (one per bowl), then pour the youcha paste into the bowl and mix with the beaten egg. Add salt, sesame powder, pepper oil, chili oil, sesame oil, minced ginger, pickled mustard tuber grains, and chopped scallions. Sprinkle crushed youcha sanzi on top of the youcha.

　　    Characteristics: Salty, savory, fragrant, and slightly spicy. Suitable for breakfast or late-night snacks, especially enjoyable in winter.