At the table
Hold it in its paper sleeve or use chopsticks. Eat while the wrapper is crisp, but let hot edges cool. Ask for sweet sauce, chili sauce, or no sauce.
Contains wheat. Some wrappers are sealed with egg; sauces and frying fats vary. Confirm the wrapper, youtiao and sauces for dietary restrictions.
The unseasoned wrapper-and-youtiao base has no chili; added chili sauce changes the heat. Sweet sauce, chili sauce and sometimes vinegar are chosen separately. Egg may be used to seal the wrapper.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Sauce dips vary by stall.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Toasty scallion and fried-dough savor.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Crisp wrapper, crunchy youtiao, soft scallion.
- How it’s made
- Warm thin wrapper, add youtiao pieces and scallion, fold and press on a griddle until crisp.
Sauce dips vary by stall.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Zhejiang.
About this regional connection
Zhejiang: Hangzhou snack; no exclusive origin claim.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有葱包桧吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Pressed flat for crunch
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
Cong bao hui is a Hangzhou street snack built around pressing and toasting. A thin wrapper holds youtiao and scallion; repeated pressure on the hot surface makes the parcel flatter and crisper. The sauce is a final choice, rather than the defining filling.