At the table
Let it cool, then take small bites while holding it level so the filling does not spill. No dip is needed.
Contains wheat and sesame. The sugar filling can stay very hot after the crust cools; check frying oil and filling if avoiding animal products.
Plain and meat-filled youxiang also exist; this is the sweet Wuhan version. Frying oils vary by vendor.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Plain and meat-filled youxiang also exist; this is the sweet Wuhan version. Frying oils vary by vendor.
Typical ingredients
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Sweet, floral and richly sesame-scented.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Crisp outside, soft and slightly chewy inside, with syrupy filling.
- How it’s made
- Scald wheat flour with water, add fermented dough starter and culinary alkali, fill with sugar, sesame and osmanthus, flatten into rounds and fry in sesame oil.
Plain and meat-filled youxiang also exist; this is the sweet Wuhan version. Frying oils vary by vendor.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Hubei.
About this regional connection
Hubei: Wuhan breakfast tradition.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有武汉油香吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A sweet part of Wuhan breakfast
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
Sweet youxiang belongs to Wuhan's breakfast-stall tradition. The combination of a fried wheat shell and fragrant sugar filling distinguishes it from rice-batter snacks elsewhere called youxiang.
