Xiao Yang Guo Kui - Flatbread With A Thousand Years History Arrived In Singapore!

china, chongqing, food, food review, jiangsu, review, shandong, shanghai, sichuan, singapore, xi an, xiao yang guo kui, 小杨锅盔,

Update: Xiao Yang Guo Kui has permanently closed.

Forgive the hand model, k? Don't let the fur get to you.

When I first heard of Xiao Yang Guo Kui (小杨锅盔), I was bewildered as its name does not make any sense nor give me an idea of what the product really is.

After some googling, however, I found out that this naan look-alike flatbread is called a guo kui (锅盔) while Xiao Yang Guo Kui (小杨锅盔) is the brand name which brought this chain to Singapore.

Xiao Yang Guo Kui has got absolutely nothing to do with Yang Guo of The Condor Heroes fame from Louis Cha's novel. However, it does have an impressive history dating back to the Three Kingdoms.

Wow. Imagine having the same thing as Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang?

Word has it that a soldier used his helmet (kui) as a wok (guo) to cook some flour over a fire and voila, the guo kui is born. For the next thousand of years, this staple army provision has evolved into a popular traditional street snack for the masses in China.

Xiao Yang Guo Kui offers guo kui in six different flavors namely pickled vegetables (梅干菜), pickled greens (雪菜), mixed vegetables (菜类), Happy Family (全家福) which is a combo of the aforementioned vegetables, spicy greens aka mala (香辣), and red bean paste. Prices are affordably priced from $2.20 to $3.

I bought the pickled vegetables guo kui ($2.50) which, unfortunately, was prepared in advance so it is cold but still crispy.

There are reheating instructions behind the packaging so I went home and reheated it in a flat pan over the stove. Upon heating, the savory fragrance of the pickled vegetable became more pronounced although it might be an acquired taste for some.

The guo kui is really recommended to be eaten while hot.

Xiao Yang Guo Kui is now located only in the western side of Singapore at Jurong East and Choa Chu Kang. Two more outlets at Boon Lay and Northpoint City are on the way.