A 300-year-old street snack from Heshui County in Qingyang Prefecture: rings of wheat dough enriched with alkaline water and malt-sugar syrup are deep-fried golden, then glazed while still hot with a second coat of syrup that sets into a cracking amber shell. First-prize winner at the 1989 Qingyang Regional Food Fair.
Heshui County lies on the Loess Plateau of eastern Gansu (陇东庆阳地区), where wheat has been the dominant crop since the Han dynasty. Local Qingyang chronicles record the glazed ring tradition as stretching back over 300 years, placing its emergence no later than the early Qing dynasty, when the rings were sold at temple fairs and given as betrothal gifts. In 1989 they won first prize at the Qingyang Regional Food Exhibition and Sales Fair, cementing their status as the county's representative craft snack.
The first bite punches through the glass-thin sugar shell with a satisfying crack; underneath the dough is light, faintly chewy, and carries a gentle alkaline sweetness that keeps the heavy glaze from cloying.
The characteristic dual texture comes from two rounds of sugar at different temperatures. A small amount of malt syrup in the raw dough (around 5-8%) undergoes Maillard browning during frying, giving the crumb a warm caramel flavour. The post-fry glaze—applied while the ring is still very hot—sets by rapid water evaporation and recrystallisation of the supersaturated sugar solution, forming a glass-like amber shell. The alkaline water (typically sodium carbonate or a sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate blend) raises the dough pH to around 9, tightening the gluten network so the ring holds its circular form under heat, absorbs less oil, and delivers the characteristic mellow alkaline aftertaste.
Variations
Some Heshui households substitute honey for malt syrup in the glaze, yielding a floral fragrance. A sesame-coated variant rolls the freshly glazed rings in white sesame before the sugar sets. Festival versions can reach fist-size, symbolising family unity.
On the Palate
Where Heshui Glazed Fried Dough Rings sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
7 steps · 20 min
- 130 min
Dissolve baking soda in 80 ml of warm water to make alkaline water. Combine wheat flour, malt sugar syrup, vegetable oil and the alkaline water; knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
- 210 min
Divide the dough into 30 g portions. Roll each into a rope about 20 cm long; press the two ends firmly together to form a ring.
- 310 min
Arrange the rings on a floured board, cover with a damp cloth, and rest 10 minutes to prevent surface cracking.
- 412 min
Heat deep-frying oil to 160 °C. Fry rings in batches of 4-5, turning frequently, for 4-5 minutes until evenly golden and cooked through. Drain on a rack.
Watch outFry at a gentle 160度 until evenly golden and it sounds solid when tapped — too hot and the outside browns before the inside cooks.
- 53 min
Warm extra malt syrup with a little water until fluid and pourable but not thin—it should cling to a spoon for two seconds before falling.
- 63 min
While rings are still very hot, pour or brush the warm glaze over each ring, coating all surfaces.
Watch outGlaze while the rings are still very hot so the syrup grabs and sets into a glass shell — on a cooled ring it just slides off sticky.
- 75 min
Leave on a rack 5 minutes until the glaze cools and hardens into a crackle amber shell. Serve at room temperature.
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