I don’t eat Moo Shu Pork – or vegetables, or chicken – very often anymore. Which is a shame, because Moo Shu is a tremendously fun thing to eat. We just so rarely eat out anymore at the kind of Chinese restaurant that serves it. (Chinese restaurants of any stripe are not the most common in Albuquerque.) And what do you do when you want to make it at home? I don’t know about your grocery store, but mine does not sell Moo Shu pancakes. Flour tortillas will do as a substitute, but they’re not really right. Even the thinnest ones are too thick and fluffy, with the wrong kind of chew.
So when I saw the three-ingredient recipe for Moo Shu Pancakes in Lucky Peach’s 101 Easy Asian Recipes, I decided I had to try it. Did I say three ingredients? Arguably it’s only two, because since when do we count water as an ingredient?
It turns out that these are super-fun to make. They introduce a really cool technique I hadn’t seen before: To get each pancake super-thin, you roll two balls of dough out on top of each other, separated only by a layer of sesame oil. Once they are griddle-baked, they peel apart easily, giving you two pancakes, each one half as thick as you could roll out alone. And, as a bonus, tasting a little bit of sesame oil.
The dough itself is simply made by kneading together flour and boiling water. I’ve used this technique before to make Chinese dumpling wrappers, and was curious about it, so I poked around online. That quick research didn’t tell me a lot, just that this kind of boiling-water dough tends to be used for dumplings that need tougher wrappers for comparatively rough cooking methods. So I turned to the big guns: Harold McGee’s food-science tome On Food and Cooking. I found a bit more info there: Boiling water causes starch to absorb water much more quickly and gel, which makes for a robust, easily worked, chewy dough.
I am not providing a recipe for the Moo Shu filling, because it’s so simple. (Though I was reminded that I did post a tasty recipe for Moo Shu Pork years ago.) The excitement here comes from the pancakes and the dark, sweet-salty flavor of hoisin sauce. (Kikkoman and Lee Kum Kee both make very good versions; you can probably find one or the other in the Asian section of your grocery store.) Shred some cabbage, carrots, onions, and other veggies that you have on hand or that seem interesting, add a protein of your choice if you like (we just went veg here), and stir-fry with plenty of ginger and a little soy sauce and sesame oil.
My only issue with these was that they seemed like they’d be better with just a little hit of salt. Next time I’ll add a quarter teaspoon to the recipe, and I made that an option below. The process of making the pancakes is really fun and very easy – the hot-water dough rolls like a dream, and peeling the pancakes apart is oddly delightful. (Be careful – hot steam billows out!) And, of course, rolling them around some tasty filling at the table and devouring them is best of all.
The recipe serves three to four. If you’re serving more than that, invite them into the kitchen to help! It’s really fun to make these together. Even by yourself, once you get the hang of it you can roll one set of dough balls together while another pair cooks, speeding up the whole process.
Homemade Moo Shu Pancakes
Notes
This recipe serves three to four people, depending on how hungry they are and how full they stuff their pancakes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil, or more as needed
Instructions
- Place the flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt, if using. Pour in the boiling water and stir together with a fork. (If the dough seems too dry or crumbly, stir in a little more water, up to 1/4 cup or so.) Once the dough comes roughly together, check to see if it's cool enough to handle. If it's not, wait a few seconds. When it's cool enough to not burn you, knead in the bowl until all the flour is incorporated. Move onto a large cutting board and knead another minute or two, until the dough is tender, smooth, and elastic.
- Roll dough into a foot-long rope and cut into 12 equal pieces. You want the pieces to be very similar in size so they'll roll out well in pairs. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten slightly.
- Take two dough balls and brush one flattened side of each with sesame oil. Press them together with oiled sides touching, patting them out until they're about 3 inches across. Use a rolling pin, wine bottle, or whatever you use to roll things to roll out very thinly, aiming for an even 7-inch circle (But don't worry about the shape too much; as long as they fit on your griddle or skillet they will be fine.) Repeat until you have 6 little pancakes.
- Heat a nonstick (or seasoned cast iron) skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. (We used a nonstick crepe pan.) Lay on one pancake and cook for a minute or so, until the bottom is browned in places and the top is showing bubbles. Flip and cook the second side for a minute, until browned in spots. Remove to a plate and pull apart like magic to reveal two super-thin pancakes! (Be careful of the steam.) Repeat with remaining pancakes until all are cooked. Serve with a simple, cabbage-and-ginger-heavy stir-fry and hoisin sauce. Assemble at the table and enjoy!
I am so glad you enjoyed them! Now I’m craving them, better make some soon. Thanks so much for letting me know you liked them.
These were so delicious and easy to make. Just the right flavor and chew. Much easier to separate than I expected.
We did not find the pancakes to pull apart very easily. I don’t know what we could’ve done wrong, but our dinner was delicious nonetheless!
keto tortilla….lovely substitue https://www.gnom-gnom.com/grain-free-keto-tortillas
I’m sorry you had that experience, Barbara! I tried making tortillas once and it wasn’t pretty. I find that this recipe is very different because of the sealing together and pulling apart to create two thinner discs, and the easier to work with boiling-water dough. Again, sorry you didn’t have the same experience – and thank you for reading, trying, and commenting! Be well.
I was disappointed, while I was cooking the “pancake” there was something about them..then I realized it is a tortilla recipe. And, I cannot make good tortillas. Had I realized that I was going to make tortillas, I would have used the ones in the refrigerator. It’s just me, I’m not good at making tortillas.
Isn’t it fun? So glad you enjoyed!
Thanks for providing this recipe! It worked great. What a cool technique!
Hi Monica! I’m delighted that you liked them. Perhaps I’ll add a note about your experience with the water. Thanks so much for your comments!
Just made these! Soooo delicious! I must admit I did add an additional 1/4 cup of water as my dough was a bit too dry and they came out beautifully. I really appreciated these clear and simple directions. Thank you! Will be making these again soon!
Hi Mandi! Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure it would not. The reaction of the gluten in the wheat flour is important to getting the pancakes’ chewy texture. Maybe you could make a sort of coconut-flour crepe that could serve the same function?
Would this work with coconut or almond flour for a low-carb version?
Hi Leo! Sorry this comment slipped by me and it took a long time to get back to you. I’m afraid I don’t know how long the pancakes keep – we’ve always gobbled them all up. However, I found a similar recipe at http://theallamericanchinesecookbook.com/2008/10/homemade-mu-shu-pancakes/ that suggests they can be refriegerated for several days or frozen, and then reheated in a steamer. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
How long will the pancakes keep? Can you refrigerate or freeze?