Guokui
Chinese flatbread
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guokui (traditional Chinese: 鍋盔; simplified Chinese: 锅盔; pinyin: guōkuī),[1] literally "pot helmet", is a kind of bing (flatbread) made from flour originating from Shaanxi cuisine.
Guokui from Sichuan | |
| Place of origin | China |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Shaanxi |
| Associated cuisine | Shaanxi cuisine |
| Main ingredients | Flour, water, yeast, sugar, |
| Variations | Chicken, beef |
Variations
The dish is said to have been invented during the Tang dynasty by a laborer who cooked flatbread in his iron helmet over a wood fire.[2] There are many different versions including Shaanxi, Jingzhou (Hubei), Henan, Sichuan, and Gansu.
Jingzhou style
Hailing from Jingzhou, Hubei, in this style the dough of flour, water, yeast and sugar is stuffed with either a savoury filling like chicken, beef, and pickled vegetables, or a sweet filling like red bean paste.[3] It is then flattened and cooked until crispy inside a cylindrical charcoal oven. Since the preparation resembles making Indian naan in a tandoor oven, the dish is sometimes called "Chinese naan".[2]
Shaanxi style
The guokui originated in Shaanxi. In Shaanxi, a guokui is round in shape, about a foot long in diameter, an inch in thickness, and weighs about 2.5 kg. It is traditionally presented as a gift by a grandmother to her grandson when he turns one month old (滿月, a traditional custom among Han Chinese). Along with biang biang noodles, they are considered one of the "Eight/Ten Oddities of Guanzhong".[4]
Gallery
Cooking Jingzhou-style guokui in the traditional cylindrical oven
With meigan cai
Beef guokui
Statue depicting Shaanxi/Guanzhong style Guokui
