Chinese style pancakes

Chinese style pancakes

Ingredients

makes 16
  • 360g plain flour
  • 230ml hot water, just boiled
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil for brushing

Directions

  1. Put flour into a heatproof bowl. Pour in hot water (soon after being boiled). Stir with a pair of chopsticks or a fork until small lumps appear and no more loose flour is left. As soon as the dough is cool enough to handle, knead for 5 minutes, until it forms a soft, smooth dough.
  2. Brush a thin layer of oil over the dough to avoid drying out. Cover the bowl with a lid and leave to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  3. To prepare the dough pieces, briefly knead the dough again. Cut it into 4 even pieces. Roll each portion into a cylinder then divide each into another 4 even pieces.
  4. Flatten each piece with the palm of your hand into a small disk about 5cm wide. Brush the top of one disk with a layer of oil, then place another disk on top. Repeat to form 8 piles of dough formed of 2 disks each.
  5. Use a rolling pin to flatten one pair of disks until they measure about 18cm diameter. Flip several times to ensure that two pieces of dough are evenly rolled out.
  6. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Transfer the rolled pancakes into the pan. Cover with a lid. As soon as air pockets appear, flip over to cook the other side. Be attentive and adjust the heat if needed. When the pan is too hot, the pancakes will burn easily. If it’s not hot enough, it will take longer to cook and the pancakes will be drier. It should take no more than 2 minutes to cook both sides. Transfer the cooked pancakes onto a plate. Cover with a kitchen towel immediately to keep them soft. Repeat with remaining pancakes - while waiting for one pair to cook, roll out another pair. When the first pair is done, the second pair should be ready for the pan.
  7. As soon as all the pancakes are cooked, separate all the double pancakes into single pieces - don’t delay this step as they’ll become difficult to separate once cooled. Serve them warm with fillings of your choice. Store leftover pancakes in airtight bags in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 1 month. To reheat the pancakes, steam for 3 minutes if chilled or 6 minutes if frozen.