Learn how to make this old-school Chinese crispy snack known as ma hwa/mahua. The dough is shaped and then fried and frosted with crystallized sugar. It is easy and fun to make.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine
Add beaten egg and 1/2 Tbsp of water. Knead into a dough. If it feels too dry, add a bit of water, teaspoon by teaspoon. The dough won't be smooth. Wrap it with plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour
Shaping:
Dust your work surface and rolling pin with some flour. Roll it out to about 1/4-inch thick (about 5-6 mm). Make it as square or rectangle as you can, it doesn't have to be perfect. Dust with some flour as needed if the dough gets a bit sticky. Use a pizza cutter or a bench scraper or a knife to cut the dough into about 3/4-inch (about 2 cm) wide. You will get some shorter ones at both ends. Keep the dough covered and work with one at a time
Take one dough and roll into about 14 inches (about 35 cm) long strip. Fold into half. While holding one end with your fingers, twist the other end and then twist again on its length. Tuck the tail into the loop and lightly press to seal the end. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Keep the shaped dough covered and rest for 15 minutes before frying
Frying:
Preheat about 2 inches of oil over low heat. The oil should be just warm and not sizzling hot. If you stick a skewer in the oil and there are bubbles around it, the oil is too hot. When ready to fry, put about 4-5 dough and fry slowly until they start to turn golden brown slightly, then you can increase the heat to medium and fry until they are golden brown and crispy. Remember to fry in batches, as the ma hwa will puff up
Put the fried ma hwa on absorbent paper towel and repeat with the rest. Let the ma hwa cools down completely if you want to frost them with sugar
Frost ma hwa with crystallized sugar:
Put sugar and water in a large skillet or pan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer. You will see bubbles and sugar will start to get thicken. If you pick up a bit of the sugar with spatula and touch it with your finger, it will be sticky. Add the fried ma hwa and keep stirring over medium-low heat to evenly coat the fried dough with the sugar. The sugar will gradually turn white and crystallize into sand grains texture
Remove from the heat and transfer to a baking sheet or a large plate lined with parchment paper. Let them cool down completely. They will harden into crispy fried dough
Storing:
Store in an air-tight container for about a week or so