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Spring pancakes (chun bing)
春饼 chun bing: Beijing thin wheat pancakes rolled around stir-fried vegetables and egg
On Lichun, the first day of spring in the lunar calendar, Beijing families 'bite the spring' by rolling paper-thin pancakes around platters of quick stir-fries: shredded potato, bean sprouts with chives, egg, and a smear of sweet bean sauce. The pancakes are made in pairs, two discs oiled and rolled together, then peeled apart after cooking, so each one is soft and almost translucent. The mistake is rolling them too thick; they should be thin enough to see the light through. Chef's tip: stack the cooked pancakes under a clean tea towel so the steam keeps them supple.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 9 oz plain flour
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 ½ tbsp cold water
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oilfor brushing
For the fillings
- 2 floury potatoespeeled, cut into fine matchsticks and rinsed
- 7 oz mung bean sprouts
- 2 ⅞ oz garlic chivescut into 4 cm lengths
- 1 carrotcut into fine matchsticks
- 3 eggsbeaten with a pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
To serve
- 4 spring onionscut into fine strips
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Stir ½ cup boiling water into 9 oz plain flour with chopsticks, then add 2 ½ tbsp cold water and knead into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
8 minStep 2: Roll into a log and cut 16 pieces. Flatten each, brush the top of half of them generously with 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil and lay an unoiled piece on each, making 8 stacks.
Step 3: Roll each stack out to a thin 18 cm round. Cook in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for about 1 minute a side, until it puffs and shows pale spots but no deep colour.
16 minStep 4: While still hot, peel each pair apart into two pancakes and keep them covered under a tea towel.
Step 5: Heat 1 tbsp 1 tbsp neutral oil in a wok over a high heat and stir-fry 2 floury potatoes with 1 tbsp rice vinegar and half the ½ tsp salt for 3 minutes, until just tender but still crunchy. Tip out.
3 minStep 6: Add another tbsp 1 tbsp neutral oil, then 1 carrot, 7 oz mung bean sprouts and 2 ⅞ oz garlic chives with 1 tbsp light soy sauce and the rest of ½ tsp salt. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until the sprouts just wilt. Tip out.
2 minStep 7: Heat the last of 1 tbsp neutral oil and scramble 3 eggs in large, soft curds, about 1 minute.
1 minStep 8: To eat, spread a pancake with a little 4 tbsp sweet bean sauce (tian mian jiang), add a few strips of 4 spring onions and some of each filling, then roll it up and eat with your hands.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does spring pancakes (chun bing) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of toasted sesame oil?
- Toasted sesame seeds ground with a little vegetable oil.
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