Cheat’s Peking Duck Pancakes

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre, then add in 1 cup boiling water and the oil. Mix together with a fork, from the centre outwards, until a firm dough forms.

Knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface until smooth. Shape into a ball, then place into a clean large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut some baking (parchment) paper into eight 20cm squares.

Once rested, roll the dough into a long, cylindrical shape. Divide into 16 even pieces, then roll each portion into a small ball.

Fill a wok or large saucepan with water one-quarter of the way up, then place steamer basket on top. Turn heat to medium-high to start steaming.

Now let’s roll out those pancakes. Lightly flour your wok surface. Take one small ball of dough and, using your fingers, gently pat it down to form a flattish disc. Brush with a little sesame oil. Now pat down another small ball of dough, then place on top of the oiled round. Roll out each piece of dough with a rolling pin into a circle, about 16-20cm (6-8”) in diameter and 2mm thick (the idea is that, once steamed, the oil will enable you to peel away the pancakes from one another, so you’re making two in one). Carefully transfer to a square of baking (parchment) paper. Repeat with the remaining dough balls, stacking the paper pieces on top of one another.

Place two of the layers or pancakes (stack them on top of each other) into the steaming basket, then cover the steamer with the lid. Steam pancakes for 3-4 minutes. (If you don’t have a steamer, you could also pan fry the pancakes – cook each pancake for 2-3 minutes on each side in a lightly oiled frying pan.)

Remove pancakes out onto a plate and, while still warm, carefully separate each one into 2 pieces. Cover with a dry towel to stop them from drying out. Repeat process with the remaining pancakes.

Use these pancakes with my Quick & Easy Peking-style Duck recipe.

– I like to use a low-protein flour for the pancakes to keep things really soft and pliable. However, you can totally use plain (all-purpose) flour instead if you can’t get hold of any.