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Sānzi Grilled Pancakes in Wenshan District – The Fading Taste of a Xuzhou Mother's Home Cooking

Published: 2026-09-24 👁 100 views
Last updated 2026-09-24 — Although the sǎnzi (umbrella-shaped snacks) from Xuzhou are delicious, few people still know how to make them due to the complicated process. The dough needs to be rested and stretched three times, just like making noodles, and must be fully relaxed before stretching to prevent breaking. It also needs to be oiled to avoid sticking, then coiled in the bowl into a spiral shape like a mosquito coil. Just before frying, one person has to twirl the dough while another catches it—if not for two people working together, it would be pure chaos. The straightforward and outspoken Grandma Liu sighs that although many have asked her to teach them the skill, most are either all thumbs or can’t stand the intense heat by the stove and flee. She fears she’ll only be able to keep making them until she physically can’t anymore.

Text & Photos / Mirror Media Weekly

Sǎnzi (pronounced similarly to “umbrella”) is a specialty noodle snack from Xuzhou, Jiangsu. Resembling twisted dough sticks but made of extremely fine strands, it’s named for the way it shatters into flakes with each bite. Born in Jinan and raised in Xuzhou, Grandma Liu mastered the art of frying sǎnzi and grilled pancakes. After moving to Taiwan, she opened a shop—no signboard, but thanks to word-of-mouth from regulars, its fame has spread far and wide. Nowadays, many vegetarian restaurants and renowned market vendors specifically request her sǎnzi.

Early in the morning, a small, signless shop diagonally across from Zhongxing High School in Muzha has already kicked off a bustling day. Red-haired owner Liu Yuying and her son work at a low table—one rolling out the dough, the other grilling the pancakes. The hand-rolled, paper-thin pancakes go onto the sizzling black iron pan, instantly releasing a steaming, bluish-white wok hei. Even with a fan running, the indoor temperature keeps rising. The two have to cooperate this way every day to grill around 100 pancakes.

  1. The pancakes are made with medium-gluten flour, each rolled out by hand.
  2. The thin pancake skins bubble and turn crisp and fragrant after just a few flips on the scorching hot iron pan.
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