Beijing Brown Sugar Fritters
糖油饼
English: Beijing Brown Sugar Fritters
Chinese: 糖油饼
Pinyin: tang you bing
Literal: Sugar oil cake
The unsung heroes of Beijing are the breakfast cooks who begin work while the city still sleeps. Walk the streets at five in the morning and you’ll find baozi makers, restaurant chefs and street-stall vendors quietly shaping dough, tending steamers and heating vats of oil for a hungry city about to wake.
Among the morning’s most beloved treats is tang you bing - brown sugar fritters that arrive at the table hot, crisp and fragrant, ready to be dipped into doufu nao or fresh soy milk. I’ve watched hundreds being made over the years, peering into tiny kitchens while waiting for breakfast. The dough is stretched thin, smeared with a second dough laced with brown sugar, then slipped into hot oil. The sugar caramelises and crackles while the pancake itself puffs and turns chewy and soft - somewhere between a doughnut and a flatbread, best eaten straight from the fryer.
Like much of Beijing’s street food, tang you bing carries a story of the city itself. The snack was introduced by Muslim migrants, but during the Japanese occupation sugar and oil became scarce, turning it into an occasional luxury. Ask any Beijingers about tang you bing and they’ll remember the price during the ration years: a plain fritter cost six cents and a grain ticket, while a sugar fritter cost eight. Two extra cents for a small moment of luxury.
Makes 6-8 fritters
Ingredients
For the Dough
200g high-gluten (bread) flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp instant yeast
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
140-150ml warm water (around 38°C)
For the Sweet Topping Dough
60g dark brown sugar
35ml hot water
80g all-purpose flour
1 tbsp oil
A pinch of baking soda
For Frying
1-1.5 litres of vegetable oil (for deep frying)
Method
FOR THE DOUGHS
Make the dough first. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, yeast and salt. Mix well.
Add the warm water and then the oil. Mix with chopsticks or a spatula. The dough will come together but look quite shaggy.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic, or use a stand mixer with a dough hook for 5-7 minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until doubled in size.
In a separate bowl, dissolve the dark brown sugar in the hot water. Stir until completely smooth. Let it cool for a minute. Add the flour, oil and baking soda to the sugar water.
Mix until it forms a sticky, paste-like dough. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes or so.
FOR THE FRITTERS
Once the dough has risen, turn both doughs out onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide the main dough into 6-8 equal pieces (golf ball to tennis ball size). Shape each into a smooth ball.
Divide the sweet dough into the same number of pieces. It will be far stickier and annoying to work with. You can roll it in a tiny bit of flour, but resist adding too much otherwise it will peel off during the frying.
Take one ball of dough and flatten it into a disc with your palms. Take a piece of sweet dough and flatten it into a thin layer (about 2-3mm thick). It doesn’t need to be pretty.
Lightly dab the top of the main dough with water, then place the sweet dough on top. Sprinkle a pinch of flour over the top (this prevents the rolling pin from sticking). Use a rolling pin and roll the doughs together into an oval about ½ cm (¼ inch) thick. The sweet layer should adhere and become embedded into the main dough.
Use a knife or dough scraper to make 2-3 long slit right though both layers in the centre of the pancake. This allows the fritter to expand evenly and cook through when frying.
Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Cover the shaped fritters with a damp cloth and let them rest for 15-20 minutes.
FRYING
In a wok, heat the oil to 180-200°C (350-390°F) over a medium heat. Use a cooking thermometer for accuracy. The oil should be deep enough to allow the fritter to float.
Gently lift a rested fritter (it should be very soft and stretchy now), lowering it into the hot oil, sweet side down. Fry one or two at a time to avoid crowding and dropping the oil temperature. 16. The fritter will sink briefly, then float. Use chopsticks or the spider strainer to gently press the fritter in the oil, encouraging it to puff up.
After about 60-90 seconds, when the bottom is light golden brown, carefully flip it. Fry the other side for another 60-90 seconds until both sides are a deep, rich golden brown and the sweet top is shiny, crackly, and caramelised.
Remove and drain on a wire rack set over a tray or on paper towels.
Serve immediately. They’re at their best when eaten fresh, hot and crispy.
Notes
Oil Temperature is Crucial: Too hot, and the outside burns before the inside cooks. Too cool, and the fritter absorbs too much oil and becomes greasy.
Slits are Essential: They prevent the fritter from puffing up into a hollow ball and ensure even cooking.
