Erduoyan Fried Rice Cake

Erduoyan fried cakes wrap a red-bean paste in a skin of water-milled glutinous rice and fry it gently, leaving the outside golden and crisp and the centre soft and sweet.

Named for the founding shop on a lane whose mouth was as narrow as an "ear hole" outside the North Gate, it has been a Tianjin favourite since 1892.

Best eaten hot, when the crisp shell meets the chewy centre; it is enjoyed as a street snack or an after-meal sweet.

A crisp shell, a moist filling and carefully judged frying make it the standard-bearer of Tianjin's fried sweets.