Chinese Pancakes Bok Bang Food

CHINESE PANCAKES: BOK BANG

Steps:

• Put the flour in a mixing bowl. Slowly add the boiling water and stir in 1 direction with a wooden spoon. When the flour absorbs the water and cools, knead the dough into a ball and then place it on a work surface dusted with flour. Knead for about 2 minutes, until the dough is thoroughly smooth. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• On a flour-dusted work surface roll the dough into a 12-inch sausage and divide into 12 (1-inch) pieces. Flatten each piece with your palm, using more flour to dust if the dough is sticky. While working, cover the dough not in use with plastic wrap. Working with 2 pieces of dough at a time, wipe 1 side of each piece gently with sesame oil and place 1 flattened, oiled piece atop another. Roll them together into 7-inch rounds. The result is a 2-layer pancake. Repeat until 6 (2-layer) pancakes are made.
• Heat a wok over low to medium heat for 1 minute. Place a double pancake in the dry wok and cook for a minute, until it begins to bubble up. (The heat in the dry wok must be carefully controlled. If it is too high, the pancakes will burn.) Turn the pancake over and cook until a few brown spots appear. Remove from the wok and separate into 2 layers. You will have 2 pancakes, each browned lightly on 1 side and white on the other. Repeat until all the dough is used and you have 12 pancakes.
• Before serving, steam the pancakes in a stack for 5 to 7 minutes, until soft and hot. Brush the pancake with hoisin sauce, place the chicken slice in the pancake, add some scallion, and fold up the bottom to create an envelope closed on 3 sides but open at the top. Serve immediately.
• 1/3 cup sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Shao-Hsing wine or sherry
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
• Combine the poaching ingredients in a large pot (preferably an oval Dutch oven) and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Raise the heat to high and return to a boil. Place the chicken in the pot, breast side-up. Cover. When the pot begins to boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over and repeat the process.
• Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to sit in the liquid, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a rack that has been set into a platter and allow to drain. Pierce the skin with a fork to help the draining. Discard all the ingredients from the pot. Reserve poaching liquid for later use.
• Mix the coating ingredients, and with a pastry brush, coat the chicken thoroughly with the mixture. Allow the chicken to dry completely, about 6 hours. During this time, turn the chicken, taking care not to mar the coating. (An electric fan can reduce the drying time by half.)
• Heat a wok over high heat for a minute. Add the peanut oil and heat it to 375 degrees F. Using a large Chinese strainer, lower the chicken into the oil, breast side up, and deep-fry for 3 minutes. Use a ladle to pour oil over the chicken to ensure uniformity in frying. Turn the chicken over by inserting a wooden spoon in its cavity, and deep-fry for another 3 minutes, ladling the oil as before. Repeat until the chicken is golden brown. Turn off the heat. Remove the chicken and allow it to drain. Place the chicken on a chopping board and slice the meat and skin together into pieces 1 by 2 inches.

SHOU ZHUA BING (CRISPY CHINESE PANCAKES)

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over low heat, add the oil. Throw in the scallion pieces, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns. Keep the pan over low heat for about 10 minutes, until fragrant. Pick out all the spices, so you essentially have a pot full of spiced oil. Stir in the flour and five-spice powder to create a thin roux. Set it aside, and let it cool completely.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the flour and add the boiling water. Mix with a fork or a pair of chopsticks. Gradually add the cold water and knead everything together to form a smooth dough ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Depending on the pancake size you want, divide the dough into 4-8 equal pieces. Lightly brush some oil on a clean work surface. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope, and then use a rolling pin to roll it flat. Brush a thin layer of the roux all over the dough, and then sprinkle it sparingly with sesame seeds, chopped scallion, and salt.
• Start on one end and roll the dough up. Stand the roll upright and press it down with your palm. Lightly roll out the resulting circle until you get a pancake that's between 1/4-1/2" thick. It's ok of the outer edges break open a bit. Repeat for each pancake.
• At this point, you can cook them, or freeze them by separating each pancake with a layer of plastic wrap or wax paper, and then putting them in a freezer bag. There's no need for thawing when you want to cook them.
• Heat a pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon or two of oil. Place the pancake in the pan. Once the bottom starts to turn a little golden, add two teaspoons of water to the sides of the pan (don't pour the water on the pancake), and immediately cover with a lid. Cook 3 minutes. Uncover the pan, flip the pancake, and do the same steps with the other side.
• To finish, uncover the lid again, turn up the heat slightly, and brown both sides while flipping the pancake occasionally. When it's golden brown, use a pair of chopsticks to squeeze and pinch the pancake a couple times to loosen the layers (this step is optional), because you ideally want to see the layers when you hand-pull it apart. The cooked pancake should be crispy and slightly chewy.

CHUNG YUL BANG (SCALLION PANCAKES)

Steps:

• In a medium heatproof bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. Pour in the boiling water, quickly mixing everything together with a wooden spoon until the flour absorbs all the water. It will look a bit dry and flaky. Stir in the cold water. A dough should form and begin to pull away from the side of the bowl. If needed, add more cold water a teaspoon at a time. The dough should not be sticky, but dry to the touch.
• Dust a work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary, 3 to 5 minutes. Lightly cover the dough with a clean damp cloth or plastic bag and let it rest for 1 hour.
• Redust the work surface with flour and knead the rested dough for a few minutes, or until it is smooth. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll into balls. Cover three of them with the damp cloth or plastic, then use a floured rolling pin to roll the fourth into a 7-inch round. Cover the round with the damp cloth or plastic, then roll out the remaining three pieces, keeping any unused dough well covered while you work.
• Brush each round very lightly with the sesame oil and sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a quarter of the minced scallions. Tightly roll each circle into a fat rope, then tightly coil each rope so that it looks like a snail's shell, pinching the end of the rope into the bun so that it seals. Cover the rounds with the damp cloth or plastic wrap, and let them rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Redust your work surface with flour and roll each cake out with a floured rolling pin into a 7-inch round. Set aside to fry when the oil is ready. Or, refrigerate in an airtight container dusted with flour for up to 1 day. Let the chilled dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes before frying. You can also stack the rolled dough between parchment paper, wrap tightly in plastic, seal in a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze for a few weeks. Unwrap and let them come to room temperature, about 15 minutes, before you fry them.
• Line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels. Heat the oil in a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over medium until it is hot but not smoking. Working carefully, as the oil will spatter, add a scallion cake to the bottom of the pan using a metal spatula or tongs, and let it fry until golden brown on the bottom, just a minute or two. Carefully flip the cake over and fry until the other side is golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute more. As it fries, adjust the heat to maintain a steady sizzle and lightly press the center of the cake with a metal spatula to make sure the center is cooked through, being careful of oil spatters. Alternatively, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high and pan-fry a round of dough until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. When the cake is done, transfer it to the paper towels and fry the three remaining cakes, adding 1 tablespoon oil per cake if pan-frying.
• Sprinkle the scallion cakes with a little more salt, cut them into 6 to 8 wedges, and serve them immediately.

CHUN YAO BANG (FRIED SCALLION PANCAKE)

Steps:

• Mix together the flour and water until a dough is formed. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for a few minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 4 pieces.
• Roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness. Spread a thin layer of Crisco on the top, sprinkle with salt, and then press a layer of green onions into the dough.
• Roll the pancake like a rug, roll it up like a snail, then roll onto a floured surface to a 1/8 inch thickness, pushing any green onions that escape back into the dough.
• Fry in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a skillet. Cook for approximately 3 minutes on one side then flip and cook for 2 more minutes before placing the pancake onto a paper towel-lined plate.
• Repeat with remaining quarter dough pieces.