Home Recipes Xi’an Stuffed Pancake Street Food Recipe
by: Bill
101 Comments
Jump to Recipe
Inspired by a street stall we ate at in Xi’an, I knew the minute I sank my teeth into this crispy treat that I had to add this stuffed pancake to our recipe collection.It’s a layered, rolled, crispy pancake with spiced pork and cabbage in the middle.
Watching the vendors put this snack together was one of the best parts of ourstreet food experience. For the Xi’an China tourist price of 10 RMB each(about $1.50), and the entertainment value of the experience, these snacks were a bargain!
These street cooks really make it look easy; they were making them as fast as people were lining up for them. Though the stuffed recipe seems simple, it took me four tries until I was confident enough to post the recipe. Lots of trial and error, but the end product is pretty comparable to the real thing, if a little less oily. Which is always a good thing!
(Update: We didn’t make this recipe halal, but you can certainly do so by substituting the pork for a halal meat of your choice!)
Here’s the final Xi’an stuffed pancake recipe:
Makes 8 stuffed pancakes
Recipe Instructions
Start by making the dough. Add the flour, water, and salt to a mixing bowl and mix until it forms a dough. Knead for 5 minutes. Set aside and cover with a damp kitchen towel to rest for at least 30 minutes but an hour is better if you have the time.
Then make the filling components. In a small bowl, combine the pork, five spice powder, cumin, soy sauce, pinch of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, combine the cabbage, scallion, garlic powder, sesame oil, and white pepper.
Now you’re ready to assemble the stuffed pancakes.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and keep the unused dough covered with a damp towel. Next, use a couple drops of oil to lightly oil your work surface. A bamboo or wood cutting board works well.
Roll one of the dough pieces into a long, thin rectangle about four inches wide.
No need to make it perfect. Very lightly oil the dough and spread on about an eighth of your pork mixture. Then add about 2 tablespoons cabbage to one end.
Roll the dough forward into a cylinder.
Then stand it on one end so it’s a standing cylinder. Press the dough down into a flat pancake (about 3/4 inch thick, with a diameter of about 3 1/2 inches) with one hand and then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
These measurements are just meant to give you a general idea so no need to get out any tape measures!
Next, pour ½ cup oil into a small cast iron skillet or pan and heat toabout 300 degrees. Place pancakes into the pan (we did 3 at a time) and fry until golden. Carefully flip and fry on the other side (about 3 minutes per side). Always be extra careful when working with hot oil.
When golden brown, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. These Xi’an stuffed pancake rolls are best eaten as soon as they come out of the pan, but they can also be placed in the refrigerator or even frozen and re-toasted in the oven.
Looking for more authentic recipes? Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!
4.75 from 16 votes
Xi’an Stuffed Pancakes
Inspired by a street stall we ate at in Xi'an, this Chinese stuffed pancake recipe is a layered, rolled, crispy pancake with spiced pork and cabbage in the middle.
by: Bill
Course:Appetizers and Snacks
Cuisine:Chinese
serves: 8 pancakes
Prep: 30 minutes minutes
Cook: 15 minutes minutes
Total: 45 minutes minutes
Rate
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 1 cup ground pork (or ground lamb, beef, or chicken)
- ½ teaspoon five spice powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup green cabbage (finely chopped)
- 1 scallion (chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup oil (for frying)
Instructions
Start by making the dough. Add the flour, water, and salt to a mixing bowl and mix until it forms a dough. Knead for 5 minutes. Set aside and cover with a damp kitchen towel to rest.
Then make the filling components. In a small bowl, combine the pork, five spice, cumin, soy sauce, pinch of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, combine the cabbage, scallion, garlic powder, sesame oil, and white pepper.
Now you're ready to assemble the pancakes. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and keep the unused dough covered with a damp towel. Next, use a couple drops of oil to lightly oil your work surface--a bamboo or wood cutting board works well. Roll one of the dough pieces into a long, thin rectangle about four inches wide. No need to make it perfect. Very lightly oil the dough and spread on about an eighth of your pork mixture. Then add about 2 tablespoons cabbage to one end. Roll the dough forward like a snail. Then stand it on one end so it's like a standing cylinder. Press the dough down into a flat pancake (about 3/4 inch thick, with a diameter of about 3 1/2 inches) with one hand and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. These measurements are just meant to give you a general idea so no need to get out any tape measures!
Next, pour ½ cup oil into a small cast iron skillet or pan and heat to about 300 degrees. Place pancakes into the pan (we did 3 at a time) and fry until golden. Carefully flip and fry on the other side (about 3 minutes per side). Always be extra careful when working with hot oil.
When golden brown, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. These pancake rolls are best eaten as soon as they come out of the pan, but they can also be placed in the refrigerator or even frozen and re-toasted in the oven.
nutrition facts
Calories: 267kcal (13%) Carbohydrates: 28g (9%) Protein: 8g (16%) Fat: 13g (20%) Saturated Fat: 2g (10%) Cholesterol: 15mg (5%) Sodium: 432mg (18%) Potassium: 128mg (4%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 1g (1%) Vitamin A: 25IU (1%) Vitamin C: 3.6mg (4%) Calcium: 33mg (3%) Iron: 2.3mg (13%)
Did You Make This?Tag us on Instagram @thewoksoflife, subscribe to our email list, and be sure to follow us on social for more recipes!
You may also like…
Post-Lunch Street Snack
Street Food Adventures in Xi'An
Classic, Easy Stuffed Mushrooms
TUNXI ANCIENT STREET
About Bill
Bill is the dad of The Woks of Life family. He grew up in upstate New York, working through high school and college in restaurants with his father, a chef. Rose from modest beginnings as a Burger King sandwich assembler to Holiday Inn busboy and line cook, to cooking at the family's Chinese restaurant, while also learning the finer points of Cantonese cooking from his immigrant parents. Specializes in all things traditional Cantonese and American Chinese takeout.
Subscribe
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
101 Comments
Newest
OldestMost Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
