Chinese Pancakes Thin Steamed Pancakes Recipes

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 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.