Cakoi Recipe: How to Make Authentic Cakoi at Home

Cakoi, also known as Youtiao and Chinese culler, is one of the traditional Chinese breakfast dishes. It consists of a lightly salted dough that is rolled into thin strips and deep-fried until golden brown. This dish is commonly served in many Southeast Asian countries, such as China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore. 

This recipe shows the most common type of cakoi that can be torn lengthwise into two. There are so many other cakoi-inspired dishes. Some examples include Shaoerkuai, a Yunnan dish that has cakoi wrapped in a rice flour crepe, and Shaobing, which has it stuffed in baked, layered bread. 

Tips for Making Cakoi

The dough can be prepared 1-2 days earlier. Be sure to keep the dough in the refrigerator. Before frying the dough strips, make sure they are of room temperature. If they are still cold, set them aside in room temperature for around 30 minutes.  

When deep-frying the dough strips, flip the dough continuously to ensure that the dough strips puff up evenly. It is best to fry the batter in oil that is heated to 180 degrees Celsius.  

The fried Cakoi can be kept refrigerated for around 7 days. However, they might not be as crispy as freshly fried ones. If you intend to refrigerate the ones you’ve fried, keep them in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag. Reheat them in the oven before serving. 

Cakoi Recipe: How to Make Authentic Cakoi at Home

Recipe by LokaTasteDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

2

hours 

30

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

250

kcal

To make cakoi, mix all the ingredients evenly so that they form a dough. Set the dough aside for 2 hours, roll it out, and cut it into thin rectangular pieces. Then, bine 2 pieces side by side and deep-fry the dough in oil until golden brown.

Ingredients

• 200g all-purpose flour

• 10g double-acting baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• 120ml water

• ½ Tbsp. oil

Directions

• In a bowl, add in all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the ingredients evenly.
• Then, slowly stir in the water and oil. Mix the ingredients until they form a dough.
• Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until its surface is smooth and shiny.
• Cover the bowl and set the dough aside for at least 2 hours.
• Next, lightly powder your working surface and roll the dough into a thin and flat rectangular dough.
• Cut the dough evenly into strips. Each of which is about 2.5cm wide.
• Drench a wooden or bamboo skewer in water and press it onto the edge of a dough strip. While the side is still wet, place the edge of another dough strip on top and press down into the centre of both dough strips.
• In a wok, heat the oil and deep fry the combined cough strips until golden brown.
• Repeat steps 7 & 8 with the remaining dough strips.

Recipe Video

Notes

• For health purposes, you should avoid reusing the oil to fry multiple batches of dough strips. When the oil in the wok turns slightly darker in colour, it is advisable to remove the darkened oil and use a new oil.

Ways to Enjoy Cakoi

Cakoi is usually served with soymilk, coffee, rice porridge, and congee. Many prefer dipping it in various soups and sauces. Some common examples include Bak Kut Teh and sweet sauce. It can also serve as one of the side dishes in Chee Cheong Fun. 

Also, don’t forget to check out Lokataste Recipe if you’d like to learn more recipes for other delicacies!