Paper-thin Mandarin Pancakes are pleasantly chewy and incredibly light. These easy-to-make pancakes are perfect for filling with flavorful dishes like Moo Shu Pork and Peking Duck.
Mandarin Pancakes (sometimes called Chinese Pancakes or Moo Shu Pancakes) are thin, light pancakes. These pancakes are commonly used to serve dishes like Moo Shu Pork and Peking Duck. The pancakes are thin like a French Crepe, but they have a chewier texture and a flavor similar to pasta.
How To Make Mandarin Pancakes
Mandarin Pancakes are incredibly simple to make. (You only need 3 ingredients!) But, the process is a bit different than making normal pancakes.
You make the dough from boiling water and flour. The water is worked into the flour to create a stiff, but workable dough that has a similar feel to play-doh. After the dough rests, it is divided and rolled into thin, 8-inch pancakes.
This is where things start to get fun. To make the pancakes thinner and to help them steam, you roll and cook two pancakes together.
Each ball of dough is flattened to roughly 3 inches. Then they pair up. One of the pair is brushed with oil and the other is placed on top. Then, the two pancakes are rolled out to 8 inches in diameter.
Cooking Mandarin Pancakes
The pancakes are then cooked in a hot, dry skillet for only 1-2 minutes per side, until they start to puff and get golden blisters on the bottom.
Next, they are flipped and cooked briefly on the second side.
Once the pancakes are golden and puffy, they are placed in a tea towel to cool just enough so that they can be easily handled.
When they are cool to the touch, it is time to find the seam that the layer of oil created between the two pancakes and gently pull them apart. This part can get tricky, so don’t worry if some of the edges end up connected to the wrong pancake. They’ll still be just as tasty wrapped around a flavorful filling.
Since these pancakes are so thin, it is important to keep them wrapped in a tea towel so they stay moist while you are cooking the remaining pancakes and serving them.
Mandarin Pancakes
Paper-thin Mandarin Pancakes are pleasantly chewy and incredibly light. These easy-to-make pancakes are perfect for filling with flavorful dishes like Moo Shu Pork and Peking Duck.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup water, boiling
- 1 tsp sesame oil, or peanut oil
Instructions
- Sift the flour into a medium bowl.
- Slowly pour the water into the flour, stirring with a fork as you pour, until the dough starts to come together. (You may not use the entire ½ c of water.) Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead the mixture into a firm but pliable dough. If your dough is dry, sprinkle a little of the water over the dough and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and workable.
- Cover the dough with a damp tea towel and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Divide the rested dough into 8 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Keep the dough that you are not actively working with covered with your damp tea towel to keep it from drying out.
- Working with two balls at a time, use your hands to flatten each into a 3 inch circle.
- Using a pastry brush, brush oil onto the top of one of the pancakes and top it with the other pancake. Roll the doubled pancake into an 8 inch circle. Continue until you have 4 rolled out pairs.
- Heat an 8 inch, skillet over medium heat. Place one pancake set into the hot, dry pan. Cook the pancakes for 1-2 minutes, until is starts to bubble and the bottom is golden. Flip the pancakes and cook for an additional 1 minute on the second side, until golden.
- Remove the pancakes from the pan and wrap with a tea towel. Once they have cooled slightly but are still warm, gently separate the two. Stack the cooked pancakes and cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.
- Continue with the remaining pancakes.
Notes
Cooked pancakes may be frozen, with a layer of parchment paper in between each pancake.
To reheat, wrap the stack of pancakes in a damp tea towel and steam them in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
2 pancakesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 11Fiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
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Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Sarah
Sunday 5th of July 2020
Made the duck and the pancakes from your recipe and it was great! Would definitely do again. Thank you for sharing!
Sarah Ozimek
Monday 6th of July 2020
We're so glad you enjoyed them!
Aileen
Sunday 10th of May 2020
I just made these. I wasn’t happy with my results. They seemed very tough & I had a difficult time rolling them out. I followed the recipe exactly. Not sure why they turned out the way they did.
Sarah Ozimek
Monday 11th of May 2020
Hi Aileen. We’re sorry you had trouble with these. The dough is a bit stiff (firm, but pliable). This helps so that you can roll two together, very thin and they still hold together when you pull them apart. Letting the dough rest is essential to relaxing the gluten and making them easier to roll out. And, if the dough still springs back too much, then simply let them rest a bit more. If the pancakes were tough, then possibly you worked the dough too much or cooked them for too long.
Kora
Friday 27th of March 2020
Sift BEFORE measuring?
Sarah Ozimek
Wednesday 1st of April 2020
Hi Kora. Sift the measured flour into the bowl. This keeps the flour from clumping as the batter is mixed.
Scott
Monday 27th of January 2020
I made the Mandarin Pancakes (to go with your excellent Beijing/Peking Duck recipe). They were surprisingly simple to make, and were a complete hit with my guests!
I was particularly surprised that I was able to separate the paired pancakes. By accident, I discovered a technique that vastly simplifies the separation step... don’t perfectly match the circles of dough before rolling. Staggering them so there is a little overlap at each end makes separation a snap!
Thank you so much!
Sarah Ozimek
Monday 27th of January 2020
Great tip! We're glad you and your guests enjoyed the pancakes!
Annette F
Wednesday 6th of March 2019
Sounds good
Sarah Ozimek
Wednesday 6th of March 2019
Thanks Annette!