Fried Dough Twist and Hemp Flower Pastry

Fried Dough Twist and Hemp Flower Pastry

　　Fried Dough Twist and Hemp Flower Pastry is a premium Beijing halal snack that is very popular among locals. Its preparation is relatively complex.

　　First, alum, alkaline, brown sugar, and osmanthus sugar are dissolved in warm water in a basin. Then flour is added and mixed evenly. After kneading, the dough is rolled into long strips, coiled, and left to rest. It is then divided into small pieces weighing about 40 grams each. The hemp seeds are mixed with boiling water. The small dough pieces are coated with the mixed hemp seeds, then rolled into 10-centimeter-long strips and arranged in layers on a plate, stacked 3 to 4 layers high, and left to rest again. Once rested, two small strips are taken and hand-rolled into two evenly sized long ropes. These are folded back and forth at the ends twice to form eight strands, then the two ends are pinched together to create an oval or fan-like shape that is pointed at both ends and thicker in the middle. Finally, they are deep-fried until cooked. During frying, when the peanut oil in the wok reaches about 50% heat, hold the pinched end of the pastry and dip the dough into the oil while swinging it back and forth to help it hold its shape. Once the dough firms up slightly, submerge it fully in the oil and fry until it turns brownish-yellow.

　　The Fried Dough Twist and Hemp Flower Pastry has a brownish-yellow color, a crispy texture, and a sweet and delicious taste.

　　Fried Dough Twist and Hemp Flower Pastry is made by twisting fermented dough into a twisted shape and then deep-frying it. It is a widely consumed snack found all over China. It has a long history and ancient origins. In ancient times, twists and fried dough pastries were considered representative of "cold food" snacks, often eaten during the Cold Food Festival when fire was prohibited. According to the historical text *Continuation of the Chronicles of Jin Yang*, “Emperor Huan loved collecting calligraphy and paintings. When guests visited, he would often display them. But once, a guest ate cold food and got oil on the paintings, after which he stopped serving cold food.” This anecdote shows that cold food items were fried snacks. Tang dynasty’s Wei Juyuan, in his *Food Menu*, wrote: “Giant Sesame Slave – honey-glazed cold food.” Later, Ming dynasty’s Li Shizhen in *Compendium of Materia Medica* noted: “Cold food can be preserved for several months in winter and spring, and is consumed during the Cold Food Festival when fire is banned, hence the name.” By the Qing dynasty, according to the imperial kitchen’s menu, “On March 16, 1785 (the 19th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign), the head eunuch Ma Guoyong relayed that the empress requested a rustic fruit table with fifteen dishes,” which included “fermented dough twists” as a dessert. From approximately the Qing dynasty onward, twists and fried dough pastries began to be distinguished — twists being harder and thicker, while fried dough pastries finer and looser. But both are fried snacks. The famous Tianjin Osmanthus Fuxiang Twists are made from fermented dough mixed with sesame, green plums, candied ginger, peach kernels, and other dried fruits, which are then kneaded, twisted, and deep-fried. However, some are also called “Fried Dough Twist and Hemp Flower Pastry,” such as Tianjin’s Wangji Scissors-Shaped Twists, named for their loose but neat strands, where the twisted dough is not tightly wound together.