Chinese Mandarin Pancake Recipes

MANDARIN PANCAKES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour and boiling water, starting with 3/4 cup. Begin stirring it immediately, adding a little more water at a time until a shaggy dough forms.
• Knead the warm dough for about 6 minutes, or until you have a smooth dough. If the dough sticks to your hands or the counter, add a sprinkle of flour.
• Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Turn the rested dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half to form 2 balls. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll each half out until it is 1/4-inch thick.
• Use a cookie cutter or trace a glass or mug with a knife to cut out 3-inch circles of dough.
• Use a pastry brush to brush 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil over the top of 2 dough circles. Lay one pancake on top of the other, so that the oiled sides are together. (Don't worry if one of the edges hangs over the other.)
• Roll out the pancakes together to form a 6-inch circle. Continue with the remainder of the pancakes. Use a damp towel to cover the prepared pancakes and keep them from drying out while preparing the remaining dough.
• Heat a nonstick or cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. Add one of the pancake pairs and cook until browned on both sides-about 3 minutes altogether; the second side will cook more quickly than the first side.
• Remove the paired pancakes from the pan and pull them apart while they are still hot. Cover to keep warm. Continue with the remainder of the pancakes. Serve immediately.

MU SHU PORK AND MANDARIN PANCAKES

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, sherry and hoisin sauce in a bowl.
• Add the pork, toss to coat evenly, cover, refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, soak the mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for 20 minutes (no soaking if using button mushrooms).
• Drain and thinly slice.
• Set aside on a plate, along with the cabbage, carrot and scallions.
• Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and swirl to coat.
• Pour in the eggs, swirling and tilting the wok to form a thin film.
• Cook just until the eggs are set and feel dry on top, about 1 minute.
• Transfer to a platter, let cool slightly and cut into 1 inch strips.
• Return the wok to high heat, and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
• Add the garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry to release the aromas, about 1 minute.
• Add the pork and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
• Add the reserved mushrooms, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, and scallions, along with the chicken stock, and stir-fry another 2 minutes.
• Stir in soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and sugar, and cook, stirring until sauce boils, about 1 minute.
• Add egg strips and mix well.
• To serve, spread a small amount of hoisin sauce on a warm Mandarin Pancake.
• Spoon about 1/2 cup mu shu mixture in center of pancake, wrap like a burrito, folding the ends to close, and serve.

CHINESE STEAMED PANCAKES

Steps:

• Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt, then slowly add in the boiling water while mixing.
• Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and springy.
• Wrap the dough in clingfilm and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Once it has rested, knead it again for just 1 minute.
• Cut the dough into 16 equal balls.
• Sprinkle your work surface with a little flour and then flatten them into discs.
• Using a rolling pin, roll the first disc into a thin pancake (as thin as you can go). You will need to ensure your surface is coated with flour regularly so it doesn't stick.
• Brush your steamer with a little oil to prevent the pancake from sticking.
• Place the first pancake into the steamer over a medium heat and cover with the lid.
• Roll out your next pancake, place it on top of the first and continue repeating until you have rolled out all of your pancakes.
• Let the last pancake cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
• Carefully peel the pancakes apart while still warm.

MANDARIN PANCAKES

Steps:

• Prep Dough: Combine the flour with boiling water in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or chopsticks. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, gather up all the shaggy dough and knead it until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, keep adding flour as needed, about a tbsp at a time. Cover with a clean towel and let it rest for ½ hour.
• Shape Pancakes: Shape the dough into a 16" log. With a sharp knife, cut into into 1" pieces, you should 16 equal size pieces. Roll out each piece so that it's about 2-inch in diameter. Brush the top of each round with sesame oil. Lay one round on top of the other, oiled sides together. Flatten the pair, so the two rounds stick together. Continue with remaining rounds, you should end up with 8 pairs.
• Roll: Roll each pair with a rolling pin, to create a thin pancake that's about 6 to 7 inch in diameter.
• Cook Pancakes: In an ungreased cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan cook the pancakes one at a time, over medium-high heat. Cook the first side, until it starts to bubble and the dough starts to get light brown spots on the bottom, should take about 1 minute. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds on the 2nd side.
• Finish & Serve: Stack the pancakes on a plate and while the pancakes are still warm, separate each one. Take a pancake, find its seam and peel it into two pancakes.

MANDARIN PANCAKES

Steps:

• Place flour in a medium bowl. Add the boiling water in a thin stream while stirring with chopsticks or a wooden spoon. It helps to set the bowl in a heavy saucepan lined with a dish towel to keep it stable, or a friend stabilize the bowl as you do this. Add the cold water in a thin stream, continuing to mix the whole time. Stir the mixture until it turns into a shaggy ball, then dump the ball out onto a lightly floured work surface.
• Knead the dough with your hands until it forms a smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Cover the dough ball with a damp dish towel and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to a couple hours.
• Roll the dough into a log roughly 10 inches long, then cut it in half crosswise. Line up the two small logs, then section each one in 6ths to form 12 pieces (for approximate 8-inch pancakes); in 8ths for 16 pieces (for approximate 7-inch pancakes) or in 10ths for 20 pieces (for approximate 6-inch pancakes).
• Roll two pieces into smooth balls between your hands, working with one piece at a time. Then, using a rolling pin or wine bottle, gently roll each of the two pieces into circular disks about 1/4-inch thick. (You'll cook two pieces at a time and proceed through the end of Step 7 before rolling out the remaining balls.)
• Brush the top of one disk with a thin, even layer of oil, then stack the second disk on top. Using a rolling pin, roll the stacked disks into a 6- to 8-inch circle. The size will depend on the number of balls you made in Step 3.
• Heat a cast-iron, carbon steel, or nonstick skillet over medium until a drop of water flicked onto the surface immediately bubbles and evaporates (about 2 minutes), then add the rolled, stacked disk. Let cook on one side until blistered and browned in spots, about 1 minute. Flip and cook until second side is blistered and browned. Sometimes the pancakes will bubble up with steam as they cook, preventing the second side from making good contact with the pan. You can gently press down on them with a flat spatula if this happens.
• Remove the cooked disk, then carefully peel it apart into two thin pancakes while still hot. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean dish towel.
• Repeat Steps 4 through 7 for the remaining dough balls, adjusting heat as necessary to make sure the pancakes brown in spots but don't blacken. Finished pancakes should be served while still warm. To store leftovers, place the pancakes on large squares of plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then roll them up like a jelly roll and refrigerate. Reheat covered in the microwave, or briefly heat one at a time in a hot, dry skillet.

PAN-FRIED CHINESE PANCAKES

Steps:

• Dissolve salt in warm water, and mix in 1 cup of flour to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, and knead until slightly springy, about 5 minutes. If the dough is sticky, knead in 1/4 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Divide the dough into 8 equal-size pieces, and keep the pieces covered with a cloth.
• In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of flour with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to make a mixture like fine crumbs.
• On a floured work surface, roll a piece of dough out into a thin square about 5x7 inches in size, brush the dough with toasted sesame oil, and sprinkle lightly with about 1 1/2 teaspoon of the flour-oil mixture. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of chopped green onion onto the dough, and spread the onion out evenly. Starting with a long end, roll the dough up into a rope shape, and pinch the seam and the ends closed. Roll the rope shape into a flat spiral, and press lightly with your hands to compact the spiral and keep it from unrolling.
• Place the spiral down onto the floured work surface, and gently roll it out into a pancake with the onions folded inside, turning the pancake over often as you roll it out. Roll gently and turn often to avoid making holes in the pancakes. Finished pancakes should be about 5 inches in diameter. Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces, making 8 onion pancakes.
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, and brush with vegetable oil. Pan-fry each pancake in the hot skillet until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

CHINESE MANDARIN PANCAKE

Steps:

• Pour the flour into a large bowl. Prepare boiling water and a pair of chop stickers. Slowly pour the water in, at the meantime stir the flour in one direction immediately. Then pour the cold water with the same process.
• Wait for the flour to cool down to room temperature. Then knead the dough until smooth (around 6-10 minutes, you can use a stand mixer to help this process). Cover with wet towel and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Transfer the dough into a floured surface. Roll the dough into a long strip and then cut into 10 equal sections. Press each a little bit to a thick wrapper.
• Prepare two wrappers. Brush some oil on top of one wrapper, and also the bottom of the other one. Press the two together. Roll the overlapped pancake to a large circle.
• Brush some oil in your pan and then fry the pancake over middle heat until one side becomes slightly browned, turn over to fry the other side until slightly browned too.
• Tear one pancake from the other one.

CHINESE SCALLION PANCAKES

Steps:

• Place flour in a large bowl; stir in boiling water until dough forms a ball. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 4-6 minutes. Place in a large bowl; cover and let rest for 30 minutes., Divide dough into 8 portions; roll each portion into an 8-in. circle. Brush with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil; sprinkle with 1 heaping tablespoon of green onion and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Roll into a thin cylinder (jelly-roll style); starting at one end, twist cylinder onto itself forming a coil, pinching to seal. Flatten slightly. Roll each coil to 1/8-in. thickness., In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil. Over medium-high heat, cook 1 pancake at a time until golden brown, 2-3 minutes on each side., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Serve with pancakes.

MANDARIN PANCAKES

Steps:

• Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl. Gradually stir in boiling water until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Return dough to bowl and cover with a damp towel; let stand 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/4-inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut out circles from dough. Working with 1 round at a time, gently brush one side of dough with sesame oil, using your fingertip or a small pastry brush; top with a second round. Using a rolling pin, roll both rounds together into a 6-inch circle. Cover with a damp towel and repeat process with remaining dough rounds.
• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add one pancake to skillet and cook, turning once, until lightly golden and dry, about 30 seconds per side. Remove from skillet and let cool slightly; separate into 2 pancakes. Repeat process with remaining pancakes. Pancakes can be made ahead and wrapped with plastic wrap; to heat, unwrap pancakes and steam in a steamer basket set in a saucepan with 1 inch simmering water until warm.

PEKING CHICKEN WITH MANDARIN PANCAKE

Steps:

• CHICKEN: Using the tines of the fork, prick holes through the skin and meat of the chicken. This allows for the marinade to seep through. Combine all the rest of the ingredients and marinate the chicken breasts for up to 4 hours.
• Slice the cucumber into very thin julienne strips. Slice the green onion stalks into very thin julienne strips. Soak both the cucumber and the onions in 1 cup of ice cold water. Drain very well before serving.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Drain the breasts, discard marinade, and pat the chicken very dry, especially the skin side. Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in large oven proof fry pan on high heat. If you don't have an oven proof fry pan, just transfer the chicken to a roasting pan or baking sheet. When oil is hot, place chicken, skin side down in the pan. Fry until the skin is golden and crisp, about 3-5 minutes. (tip: don't move the chicken when you are frying it. just leave it alone and let it fry to crisp up).
• Turn skin side up and place oven proof fry pan in the oven for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Timing really depends on how thick your chicken breasts are. I always use a quick read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken breast- it should be 160 degrees. Move on to the making the pancakes in step 5, while the chicken is in the oven.
• PANCAKE: Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and water in a large bowl. Stir until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 3 minutes).
• Shape the dough into a 1 1/2-inch-thick log. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions. Roll each dough portion into a 6-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Brush 8 pancakes evenly with oil. Top each with one of the remaining pancakes, gently pressing together.
• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place 1 pancake stack in pan, and cook 1 minute on each side or until slightly puffed. Remove from pan, and cool. Peel pancakes apart to make 2 pancakes.
• TO SERVE: Remove chicken breast from the pan and let rest on cutting board for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes have passed, carefully cut the chicken breast with the sharpest knife you own, into thin 1/2" thick slices, keeping the skin intact.
• TO EAT: I typically serve this family style at the table and let everyone make their own. Place 1 pancake in the palm of your hand or on a plate; slather on Hoisin sauce, add 3 slices of chicken, a few cucumber strips and some green onion shavings. Roll the pancake up and chow down!