PANCAKE BATTER
1 1/2 c All-Purpose Flour
1 lg Well Beaten Egg
1 c Cold Water
1 1/4 c Milk
1/3 ts Salt
1 lg Pinch White Pepper
1 lg Pinch Chili Powder
Oil, Butter Or Lard
NINE FILLINGS
8 lg Black Chinese Mushrooms
1 lg Carrot
1 4-inch Piece Giant White
– Radish, Japanese -Daikon
-Chinese – Loh Buk
8 Green Onions
3 Egg Whites
1 c Kim Chee
10 oz Lean Beef Rump Or Fillet
Sesame Oil
Vegetable Oil
Light Soy Sauce
Salt, Pepper And Sugar
3 tb White Sesame Seeds
DIPPING SAUCE
3/4 c Light Soy Sauce
2 1/2 tb Chinese Brown Vinegar
2 tb Finely Minced Green Onions
1 tb White Sesame Seeds, Toasted
– And Ground
1 lg Pinch Sugar
1 lg Pinch Chili Powder
This delightful dish is an innovative and economical way to serve a
do-it-yourself-style appetizer or main-dish. It is usually presented
in a special lacquered wood or china tray with the required number of
compartments. It is just as effective served on a tray in small
bowls or dishes. The pancakes can be made in advance and kept
refrigerated until needed, and many of the fillings can also be
prepared ahead of time for convenience.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add
the beaten egg, water, milk and seasonings and beat until smooth,
then set aside for
20 minutes.
Drain the Chinese mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Discard the stems,
then squeeze out as much water as possible from the caps and shred
them very finely. Place in a small pan and simmer for 6 minutes with
2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar and enough reserved water
to just cover. Drain well.
Peel the carrot; cut lengthwise into thin strips, then into fine
shreds. Cut the shreds into 1-inch lengths. Heat a small pan, add a
very little vegetable oil and a few drops of sesame oil and stir-fry
the carrot until softened but still uncolored. Add a little salt,
pepper and soy sauce and remove from the heat. Rinse out the pan.
Peel and grate the radish and cook in the same way as the carrot,
omitting the soy sauce. Trim the green onions, cut into short
lengths and shred finely. Stir-fry briefly in vegetable oil until
just softened.
Beat the egg whites until slightly frothy, adding a very small pinch
of salt and pepper. Rub a small omelet pan or a well-seasoned wok
with oil and pour in the egg. Tilt the pan so that the egg runs
thinly over as wide an area as possible. Cook until firm but not
colored on the underside, then flip over and cook the other side
briefly. Repeat this with the egg yolks, taking care to cook them
gently so they do not burn. Cut into narrow shreds, then cut
crosswise into short lengths.
Very thinly shred the kim chee, squeezing to remove as much liquid as
possible. Cut the beef into paper-thin slices (having it partially
frozen makes this easier, then cut crosswise into very thin shreds.
Heat a little vegetable oil and sesame oil together in a pan or wok
and stir-fry the beef until it changes color, then splash in 1
tablespoon soy sauce, a sprinkle of salt, pepper and sugar and a
little extra sesame oil.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over moderate heat until they turn
golden and begin to pop. Remove, cool slightly and grind to a fairly
fine powder.
Mix the sauce ingredients together and divide among several dishes.
Rub the omelet pan or wok again with oil. Pour in a large spoonful of
the batter and cook until the underside is golden and small bubbles
appear on the surface. Flip over and cook the other side. Continue
to cook pancakes over medium heat until batter is used up, stacking
the pancakes under a cloth.
Serve the pancakes and fillings at room temperature on a tray with the
dipping sauce.
Yields
6 Servings