Erkuai
Encyclopedia
Erkuai is a type of rice cake
particular to the Yunnan Province of southwest China
.
The name literally means "ear piece," a reference to the shape of one of its common forms. It is often served stir-fried
with vegetables, and málà (麻辣), a fiery mixture of dried red chilis
, Sichuan pepper
, and salt. It is also sold as the popular street food kăo ĕrkuāi (烤耳块) or shāo ěrkuāi grilled and rolled around a yóutiáo (strip of fried dough), with sweet or savory condiments added, making a rolled-up snack resembling a Mexican burrito
.photo
The sweet type contains a sweet brown sauce and peanuts, while the savory type is spread with lǔfǔ
and bean sprouts, and various other toppings. Kăo ĕrkuāi is particularly popular in the tourist area of Dali
.
Its peculiar name has led to it being called one of the Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan
.
Rice cake
A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten, and are particularly prevalent in Asia. The origin of rice cake seems to be...
particular to the Yunnan Province of southwest China
Southwest China
Southwest China is a region of the People's Republic of China defined by governmental bureaus that includes the municipality of Chongqing, the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, and the Tibet Autonomous Region.-Provinces:-Municipalities:...
.
The name literally means "ear piece," a reference to the shape of one of its common forms. It is often served stir-fried
Stir frying
Stir frying is an umbrella term used to describe two Chinese cooking techniques for preparing food in a wok: chǎo and bào . The term stir-fry was introduced into the English language by Buwei Yang Chao, in her book How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, to describe the chǎo technique...
with vegetables, and málà (麻辣), a fiery mixture of dried red chilis
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
, Sichuan pepper
Sichuan Pepper
Sichuan pepper is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum , widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice. Despite the name, it is not related to black pepper or to chili peppers...
, and salt. It is also sold as the popular street food kăo ĕrkuāi (烤耳块) or shāo ěrkuāi grilled and rolled around a yóutiáo (strip of fried dough), with sweet or savory condiments added, making a rolled-up snack resembling a Mexican burrito
Burrito
A burrito , or taco de harina, is a type of Mexican food. It consists of a wheat flour tortilla wrapped or folded around a filling. The flour tortilla is usually lightly grilled or steamed, to soften it and make it more pliable. In Mexico, refried beans or meat are sometimes the only fillings...
.photo
The sweet type contains a sweet brown sauce and peanuts, while the savory type is spread with lǔfǔ
Lufu (food)
Lufu is a type of fermented bean curd from Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It is reddish yellow, and has a soft texture and a savory flavor. It is used as a condiment for kăo ĕrkuāi, or made into a sauce for Yunnan-style barbecue and stinky tofu....
and bean sprouts, and various other toppings. Kăo ĕrkuāi is particularly popular in the tourist area of Dali
Dali, Yunnan
Dali City is a county-level city in and the seat of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, northwestern Yunnan province of Southwest China.-History:...
.
Its peculiar name has led to it being called one of the Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan
Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan
Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan are eighteen unique traits of the Yunnan province of southwest China...
.