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Zhaliang
Zhá léung (炸兩): Hong Kong rice noodle roll wrapped round a crisp dough stick
In Hong Kong dim sum halls and congee shops, zhaliang is a morning favourite: a fried dough stick wrapped in a slippery steamed rice noodle sheet, cut into pieces and doused in sweet soy, with hoisin and sesame paste or seeds on the side. The joy is the contrast between soft and crisp. The mistake is wrapping a stale dough stick; re-crisp it in the oven first, or it turns leathery inside the sheet. Store-bought dough sticks sometimes contain egg or milk, so check the label for a vegan plate. Chef's tip: steam the rice sheets in a lightly oiled tin no thicker than 2 mm, and roll them round the dough stick while still hot so they cling.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the rice sheets
- 2 ⅞ oz rice flour
- ½ oz tapioca starch
- ⅓ oz cornflour
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp neutral oilplus extra for the tin
For the filling and sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F. Crisp 2 youtiao (Chinese fried dough sticks) on a tray for 5 minutes until they crackle when squeezed.
5 minStep 2: Whisk 2 ⅞ oz rice flour, ½ oz tapioca starch, ⅓ oz cornflour, 1 cup water and 1 tbsp neutral oil into a thin, smooth batter.
Step 3: Simmer 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp water in a small pan for 1 minute until the sugar dissolves.
1 minStep 4: Set a lightly oiled 20 × 25 cm metal tin over a steamer of boiling water. Stir the batter, pour in a thin layer and cover. Steam for 2 minutes, until the sheet is translucent and bubbles up.
2 minStep 5: Lay a youtiao along one edge and roll the hot sheet round it, loosening it with a spatula. Repeat for the second roll, stirring the batter first.
3 minStep 6: Cut each roll into 4 pieces, pour over the sweet soy, add dots of 1 tbsp hoisin sauce and scatter with 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds. Eat at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does zhaliang take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
- What can I use instead of light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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