Oat-Flour Kaolaolao Rolls

Youmian kaolaolao are rolls of oat flour (ground from naked oats, a kind of oat) pressed into thin sheets, curled into hollow tubes and stood upright in a honeycomb pattern to steam. They come out firm and chewy, a traditional staple that staves off hunger and cold in the high, frigid country of Datong and northern Shanxi.

The cold highlands of northern Shanxi suit naked oats, so oat flour became a grain that local people relied on for generations. The name 'kaolaolao' comes from its resemblance to the 'kaolao,' a willow-woven holding basket, and the honeycomb arrangement also helps the rolls steam evenly.

Once steamed they are usually dipped in a mutton-topping broth, a tomato soup or a chili-garlic-vinegar sauce, or braised together with potato and mushroom. Eaten hot straight from the dip, they are richly grainy and satisfyingly chewy.

The craft is all in the hands — pressing each sheet thin, curling it into a tube and standing it up into a nest, so the steamed result looks like a honeycomb. Paired with a hot broth or dipping sauce, it is the most emblematic face of northern Shanxi's oat-flour culture.