San Zi (Deep-fried Noodle Tower)
The tower of fried sweets is too beautiful! Crispy Noodles for Silk Road Celebrations
Description
A traditional deep-fried pastry unconditionally piled high like a 'Golden Tower' in the center of the table during Islamic festivals (like Eid) among Uyghur and Hui minorities. Wheat dough is pulled into ultra-thin noodles and deep-fried until shatteringly crisp.
Restaurants serving San Zi (Deep-fried Noodle Tower)
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The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Wheat flour
- Veg oil
- Salt
- Sichuan pepper(for flavored water)
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Dough) Knead flour with water, salt, and a splash of 'Sichuan pepper water' and oil.
- Stretch the dough into a long, thumb-thick rope. Coat heavily in oil, coil it into a bowl, and rest for hours.
- (Pulling & Shaping) Wrap the rested dough around both hands and pull repeatedly in the air, stretching it into 'ultra-thin noodles'. (*Similar to Lanzhou noodle pulling).
- Keep the dozens of ultra-thin strands bundled together and shape them into a 'U-shape (or ring)'.
- (Frying) Heat a massive pot of oil. Gently submerge the bundled dough.
- Use chopsticks to hold its shape, frying slowly until the entire bundle turns a beautiful 'golden brown' and all moisture is expelled, becoming wildly crisp.
- Drain and stack them high like a log cabin tower on a large plate.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Pure sweetness of roasted fried wheat and oil
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Substitute texture with fried pasta or crunchy noodle snacks)
Pairing
Milk Tea (Xinjiang Chai) / Hot Tea
Trivia
[Trivia] The 'Symbol of Welcome' for festivals and guests. The higher it is stacked on the tray, the wealthier and more welcoming the household. Extremely well-preserved, retaining its shattering crunch for months.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Break the beautiful tower by snapping off pieces by hand and crunching them. It tastes like 'lightly salted fried pasta' or plain crackers—highly rustic and roasted. Dunking it into hot milk tea to soften it is also a classic method.
Allergen
Wheat