Fried Dough Ring

Fried Dough Ring

　　Among Beijing snacks, fried dough rings are loved by people of all ages for their crispy, oily aroma that’s simply irresistible. Beijingers often enjoy them sandwiched in baked wheat cakes, and they’re a must-have when drinking fermented mung bean juice. The fried dough ring is an ancient food item, but its preparation is rather labor-intensive. Due to low production efficiency, most food vendors were reluctant to make it, leading to frequent shortages for a time.

　　 Making fried dough rings involves dissolving salt, alkaline, and a small amount of alum in warm water, then mixing the solution with flour to form dough. The dough is repeatedly kneaded by hand until even, then left to rest on the work surface for three hours. Afterward, the dough is flattened and cut into 5 cm-wide strips. Each strip is placed on the work surface, with one end held down by one hand and the other end lifted by the other, stretched into a flat, oblong piece about 6 cm thick. The piece is then sliced into 4 cm-wide sections (typically yielding 14 small pieces from 50 grams of dough). Two pieces are stacked, a small knife is used to make a slit in the middle without cutting all the way through, leaving them slightly connected. When the oil is heated to about 50% temperature, one end of the raw dough ring is held and carefully lowered into the oil. A chopstick is then used to pry it open from the center, forming a bracelet-like shape. Once shaped, it is flipped over and fried until it turns a date-red color, then removed and drained of oil — resulting in a deliciously crispy and fragrant fried dough ring.

　　The Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo once wrote a poem believed to be China’s first product advertisement: “Delicate hands knead threads of jade, deep golden hue from green oil’s embrace. In slumber’s gentle night, weight forgotten, pressed upon a maiden’s bangle.” The Ming Dynasty’s Li Shizhen also recorded in the “Compendium of Materia Medica · Grains Section”: “With minimal salt added, the dough is twisted into rings, then fried in oil.” Fried dough rings can be stored for ten days to half a month without losing their texture or crispness. They remain as deliciously crunchy as ever, a beloved snack across centuries.