Mandarin Pancakes for Peking Duck (Chinese New Year Celebration)

Chinese New Year Day falls on the 23rd of January this year, about two weeks time to go. We all start thinking about what we should cook for the celebration. The traditional dishes, like radish cakes, coconut pudding, steamed fish and Chinese mushrooms seem to be a must on our list. I’m still searching new ideas of cooking something new to my family.

After I served the first piece of pancake for hubby, then quickly went back to fry my second piece for myself, I heard he yielded out a word, “YUMMY”. At the very moment, I knew this dish could be on my Chinese New Year menu. It’s a perfect appetizer.

The mandarin pancakes are best served when they are still warm. They are chewy and springy in texture, going so well with the crispy duck skin. One more remark, the hoisin sauce is a must because it adds more flavour into the wrappers. Traditionally, Chinese people use cucumber and the white parts of leek (京蔥). But you could replace with julienned white parts of large spring onions, or add any greens you like.

Mandarin Pancakes for Peking Duck (Printable recipe)
By Christine's Recipes
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Yield: Makes 8

Ingredients:

• 200 gm plain flour
• 150 ml hot water, at about 80C/175F
• 30 to 35 ml water, at room temperature
• salt, to taste
• sesame oil, for brushing pancakes

Method:

• Use a large mixing bowl, sift in the flour. Drizzle the hot water into the flour evenly. Quickly stir with a pair of chopsticks and combine well, and create some flour crumbs. Knead it into a dough. Add the room-temperature water bit by bit at a time. (Note: Kneading more water into the dough will help prevent the pancakes from being dried after pan-frying.) Continue to knead until the surface is smooth and not sticky. Place the dough in a greased bowl, covered with a damp cloth. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface. Roll out the dough into an 1½ inch-thick tube. Cut into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a small ball shape. Lightly press each into a small disc. Brush one side with some sesame oil. Then put two discs together with the sesame sides touching. Roll the discs again into 15cm (6 inches) in diameter. Repeat this step with the rest of the dough discs.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan. Cook 1 to 2 dough discs at a time, over low heat until both sides have small light brown spots. You can easily separate the two pancakes when they bubble slightly. Cook and brown the inner sides. Serve immediately. Wrap roast duck skin, cucumber and julienned leek or white parts of spring onion. Serve with Hoisin sauce. Enjoy!

Don't forget to use the Hoisin sauce.
It makes the wrappers taste as good as those served in Chinese restaurants. 

Notes:

• While rolling out the dough discs, remember to cover the rest of the dough with a wet towel to keep from drying out.
• This pancake is best served straight from the pan when it’s still hot. Yet, you can make the pancakes a day or a few days ahead. Keep them in a sealed plastic bag or an air-tight container and store in fridge. When you’re ready to serve, steam the pancakes in a wok/bamboo steamer to reheat them.
• Add a bit of hot water to loosen the Hoisin sauce for easy spreading.
• You can get a whole roast duck from any Chinese BBQ shops. Preheat oven to 150C/300F, and reheat the duck for about 15 to 20 minutes. Or ladle hot oil over the surface of roast duck for a few times, then you’ll get more crispy duck skin. Serve immediately when it’s still warm.