beijing stir-fried dough pieces

Beijing’s characteristic flavored snack food. Stir-fried dough pieces are a deep yellow color with a yellow-green contrast and are soft, pliable, and delicious. During the early years of the Republic of China, a noodle shop named Guangfuguan operated on Hufangqiao in Beijing’s Xuanwu District. Customers’ needs dictated that they gathered the noodles into dough pieces, cooked them, mixed them with shrimp paste, and then stir-fried them, initially forming stir-fried dough pieces. Later, they improved the ingredients, leading to the rise in popularity of stir-fried dough pieces.
The ingredients for stir-fried dough pieces include flour, sesame seed oil, beef, salt, vinegar, vegetables, and soy sauce, among others. After years of wandering in Beijing, I can’t forget Mu Guiying at every meal. I ask her waitress if she has ever mixed the ingredients by hand. Method Knead the flour and water into a dough and cut into round lumps slightly larger than the soy beans. Bring the water to a boil, and while pouring in the lumps, stir in one direction with a shovel. After pouring, stir every one or two minutes, and cook for another five or six minutes after the pot starts to boil. When all the lumps float to the surface, scoop them into a basin of cold water and set aside. Remove the sinew from the beef and cut it into shreds or minced pieces; wash and chop all the vegetables. Heat sesame oil in a wok over a high heat until it is 60% hot; add the shredded beef and stir-fry for half a minute. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and salt and stir-fry for a while, then add the cooked dough pieces and stir-fry for about half a minute. Add the vegetables and stir-fry for a while. Once the soy sauce and water have soaked the dough pieces, proceed to serve them in a dish.

The founders of stir-fried dough pieces were Mu Taihe and her daughter, who lived near Zangjiaqiao outside Beijing’s Heping Gate.
In the early years of the Republic of China, the mother and daughter opened a restaurant and named it “Guangfuguan.” Due to the limited capital and low profit margins, the food quality was subpar, and the business was extremely slow. One day, they sold only ten jin of glutinous rice flour, and when it was time to close, they still had five or six jin left. Despite their worries, the mother and daughter suddenly came up with a solution. She flattened the cutting board, took the remaining glutinous rice flour dough, and kneaded it again. She then formed the dough into small balls, slightly larger than dough pieces, boiled them in a pot of boiling water, drained them, and spread them out to cool in the shade. That evening, the mother and daughter fried a few of these cooked dough balls along with some vegetables and enjoyed them. They didn’t expect the taste to be so good. As they were eating, they discussed the dish and decided to add it to the original menu, naming it “fried balls”.
The next day, due to the delicious taste and low price of the stir-fried dough pieces, both regular and new customers came to try them. We quickly sold out five or six sets of dough pieces.
Upon the introduction of the stir-fried dough pieces, the majority of the initial customers were professionals. Later, as the food improved and gained popularity, a number of celebrities visited to sample it. Since then, the unique stir-fried dough pieces have introduced a new style to Chinese noodles and have gained significant popularity among the public.