Mom’s best duck pancakes (春饼, mandarin pancakes)

Step 1

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Dust a working surface with plenty of flour.

Step 2

Add 150 grams (1 cup) flour into a large bowl. Slowly add boiling water into the first bowl. Whisk with a pair of chopsticks (or a spatula), until the water is fully absorbed. It will form a soft, sticky mass. Use a spatula to scrape the dough onto the working surface.

Step 3

Add the remaining 150 grams (1 cup) flour into the same bowl. Slowly add cool water and whisk until the water is fully absorbed. It will form a soft mass, but should not be too sticky. Scrape dough onto the first dough on the working surface.

Step 4

Dust both hands with flour. Knead and press the two doughs together. Dust with more flour if needed. Knead the dough by hand until texture turns consistent, about 5 minutes. You should feel that the dough is slightly sticky while kneading, but it shouldn’t stick to your hands. Be careful not to dust the working surface with too much flour. The dough will become less tender as you blend in more dry flour.

Step 5

Dust the dough with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Step 6

Dust working surface with flour again. Knead the dough a few times until smooth. Do not over-knead it.

Step 7

(Optional) The dough might still be springy and a bit difficult to roll. Dust the dough with flour and cover with plastic wrap again. Let rest for another 10 to 20 minutes.

Step 8

Shape the dough into a log and divide it into two equal pieces. Wrap one piece with plastic wrap (to prevent the dough from drying out) and work on the other piece.

Step 9

Pull and roll the dough log back and forth until it turns into a long roll, about 36 cm (18 inches) in length. Cut into 2-cm (1-inch) pieces. You should get 18 pieces of dough. Dust both cut sides of each dough piece with flour and let stand on one of the cut sides.

Step 10

Work on the dough pieces two at a time. Cover the rest of the dough pieces loosely with plastic wrap (or a clean, damp towel), to prevent drying out.

Step 11

Add oil into a small bowl. Prepare a small brush.

Step 12

Shape two doughs into a cylinder shape and press them as much as you can into two small, round discs.

Step 13

Brush oil thoroughly onto the top of one dough disc. Make sure the oil covers the entire surface, otherwise the two pancakes will be difficult to separate later. This process of doubling up the pancakes cuts rolling and cooking time in half.

Step 14

Place the other one onto it, to form a two-layer pancake. Press the two doughs again, into a flat disc.

Step 15

Dust the working surface with flour. Use a rolling pin to roll the double pancake into a thin round disc, about 13 to 15 cm (5 to 6 inches) in diameter. Turn the dough a few times during rolling, to ensure both pancakes are evenly rolled out. The pancakes will be very thin and might stick to the working surface when rolled. Dust with more flour if needed.

Step 16

Dust both sides of the double pancake with flour again and place it aside, keeping them in a single stack. Cover with a damp towel (or damp paper towel) to prevent the pancakes from drying out.

Step 17

When you finish working on the first batch of dough pieces, you should have 9 double-pancake doughs. You should cook them before rolling out the rest of the dough pieces. Because the pancake dough is very moist and tender, the pancakes will stick together if let sit for too long. On the other hand, if you’re cooking with your family or friends, you can have someone else help you cook the pancakes while you work on the rest of the dough.

Step 18

Prepare two plates beside the stove.

Step 19

Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat until hot. Turn to medium low heat. Place a pancake in the center and let cook until the surface puffs up and the bottom side shows small light-brown spots, about 30 to 40 seconds.

Step 20

Flip and cook the other side. The whole process should take 1 minute or less. The finished pancake should be tender, springy, and slightly crispy on the surface. It should not feel dry.

Step 21

If the pan is too hot, the pancakes will burn too quickly before they puff up. If the pan is not hot enough, the pancakes will dry out due to the long cooking time. Adjust the heat of the pan and keep the total cooking time for each double pancake under 1 minute.

Step 22

Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate to cool. Place another raw double pancake into the skillet. While cooking that pancake, split the just-finished double pancake in two by peeling off the top layer. If the pancake is too hot to touch, you can wait a bit longer and cook other pancakes first. Since we brushed oil between the pancakes, it should be very easy to separate them. Place the separated pancakes on top of each other on the other plate. Repeat the process until you’ve finished 30 pancakes. Cover the pancakes with a damp paper towel to keep them moist.

Step 23

If you will be serving the pancakes immediately after cooking, you can serve them directly. They will be very tasty, even after they’ve cooled off.

Step 24

You can make the pancakes ahead of time and reheat them when you’re ready to serve the meal.

Step 25

To serve them the next day or within the next few hours, let the pancakes stay covered, and wait until they’ve cooled off. Transfer them to an air-tight container and store them at room temperature for up to half a day, or in the fridge overnight.

Step 26

To serve the pancakes, place them onto a heatproof plate or a bamboo steaming rack. Steam until hot, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Step 27

If you will serve the pancakes a few days later, you can freeze them. Let the pancakes cool off completely. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and seal in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to a month.

Step 28

To serve the pancakes, reheat them by steaming until hot and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. You don’t need to thaw the pancakes before steaming.

Step 29

(Option Serve with duck - you can cook pan-seared duck breast according to this recipe (minus the sauce). Serve the duck breast, hoisin sauce, green onions, and sliced cucumber with the pancakes. If you prepare the pancakes ahead of time, you can easily serve a Peking duck dinner for four in just 30 minutes.

Step 30

(Option Serve with moo shu vegetables or other stir-fried veggies (vegetarian meal - refer to the blog post above this recipe). If you’re cooking other stir-fried veggies, try to select veggies with lower moisture content (such as root vegetables).

Step 31

(Option Serve with scrambled eggs, green onion, and hoisin sauce - this is the easiest way to enjoy these fresh pancakes.

Step 32

(Option Serve with crispy chicken - Use this recipe to cook crispy chicken without deep-frying. Serve with hoisin sauce, green onion, and sliced carrot (or cucumber).