Is breakfast the meal at which all rules are broken? Even Beijing grannies, ordinarily so health-conscious, walk away from breakfast vendors laden with deep-fried youtiao, their flatter twin youbing, and at least half a dozen zhagao (炸糕). These sweet, deep-fried “cakes” are just one of the doughnut-like treats that made Beijing breakfasts such a grease-laden delight, at least until “modern” notions about nutrition, health and weight took hold. But there’s always room for a good doughnut, and the same holds true for their Chinese cousins.

Take the jiangmi zhagao (江米炸糕), a sticky rice ball stuffed with red bean paste and a crisp golden shell that shatters so pleasingly. Originating from Tianjin, these zhagao are nearly as popular in Beijing, though die-hard fans will still profess a preference for Tianjin varieties. Naiyou zhagao (奶油炸糕) are even lauded as highly nutritious –not just because these are Beijing’s own take on zhagao but because they’re filled with cream. Yes, that’s right: They believe you can get your daily allowance of calcium and protein from what essentially are deep-fried profiteroles. And did we mention that it’s eaten with liberal sprinklings of sugar? Surely that can’t be bad for you.

Then there are the dead-ringers for doughnuts. The most similar are mianbao quan (面包圈 “bread ring”) –plain, bland, greasy fry-bread. But the kylin pastry (qilin su 麒麟酥) does not disappoint, even though it does not quite taste like the jelly doughnuts it so resembles. Named after a mythical creature of Chinese legend, these sugar-dusted pastries have a soft cake-like crumb encasing sweet red bean paste.

The most common doughnut clone, jiaoquan (焦圈), is a crunchy, golden, sesame-encrusted ring, usually eaten with Beijing’s signature fermented mung bean juice, douzhi. This sour –some say stinky – drink isn’t for everyone, but the jiaoquan certainly can be enjoyed on its own, or as an accompaniment to other foods, say, hummus.

While these breakfast pastries were once found throughout the city, sold by street vendors that vanished after 9am, development has changed this tradition. Today, one must visit lao Beijing snack shops to find some of these treats – which is not as convenient but it does have one benefit: These deep-fried delights can now be enjoyed at any time, not just for breakfast.