STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS WITH PICTURES

Add the following ingredients into a food processor: 360 grams of all-purpose flour, 1.5 tsp of salt, 1.5 tsp of sugar, 1.5 tsp of garlic powder, 1.5 tsp of onion powder, some black pepper to taste.

Turn the speed on medium and drizzle in 30 grams of vegetable oil as it is mixing. The oil will coat some of the proteins and prevent them from contacting water, which reduces gluten formation. That will give you an extra crispy and flaky result.

Switch the speed back on low, and add the water slowly. Follow up with the sesame seeds and the diced scallion. Continue to mix with the low speed until everything forms into a rough dough.

The next step is to roll the dough into a flat sheet. You can also do this by hand but I have a pasta roller. Let the dough go through the machine. The first time, it will come out really rough. The surface is jagged. That is all fine. Just fold it over and let it go through the machine again. This time, it will look a lot better. Fold it again. Continue to feed the dough through the machine a few more times or until the surface becomes smooth. Then gradually lower the thickness down to level 3 - that is about 1 mm.

Sprinkle some cornstarch to prevent sticking. Cut it into 4 manageable pieces. Trim off the edge so they match perfectly.

Slice the sheets in half lengthwise. Then fold every 2 sheets together in half lengthwise again. Portion it into 2/3 of an inch thick pieces. Use the tip of the knife and cut the dough pieces halfway. Do that to all of them.

Unfold them. You will get these small rectangle pieces. They all have a cut in the middle. Push one side through the middle hole and pull them out. That is the shape of a twisted cracker, even though it is 2 pieces stacking together. Continue to finish the rest of the pieces. It does take a little bit of time to twist all of them, so it is completely fine if you want to fry them without twisting. You just don’t get the classic shape, but it doesn’t affect the taste.

To deep fry them, bring the oil to 350° f and drop in the crackers one by one. Keep the heat at medium and fry them for 4-5 minutes or until they become golden brown. Make sure you use wide-open cookware such as a wok. If you use a sauce pot, it is going to overflow.

You can store them in a sealed container and they will stay good at room temperature for a couple of months. Besides enjoying it as is, you can also crush and sprinkle it onto wonton soup, congee. I like to put it in my Jian bing, which is a type of breakfast wrap in Shang dong province. It just creates some contracting texture and makes your meal extra delicious.