China · Shandong
Tengzhou Vegetable Pancake
A layered vegetable pancake bound with egg and fried crisp, filled with cabbage, vermicelli, tofu and chives.
Streetside in Tengzhou and the wider Shandong region, this pancake is sold hot from a griddle and folded into a paper sleeve for anyone heading to work. The egg crepe is the structure; it holds a loose filling of shredded vegetables and softened vermicelli together so the packet survives the folding. Cooked over moderate heat rather than fierce, because the filling has to come all the way through before the outside burns.
Ingredients
- napa cabbage100 g
- sweet potato vermicelli50 g
- tofu80 g
- carrot50 g
- Chinese chives30 g
- egg1 pieces
- ham sausage40 g
- cooking oil20 ml
- salt2 g
- MSG1 g
- ground cumin2 g
- chili powder2 g
- ground black pepper1 g
Directions
- 1
Soak the vermicelli in warm water for ten minutes until soft, drain, cut into pieces no longer than five centimeters and set aside.
- 2
Wash the cabbage and cut it into shreds no wider than one centimeter; peel the carrot and cut it into shreds no wider than one centimeter; cut the tofu into dice no larger than one centimeter; wash the chives and cut them into pieces no longer than one centimeter. Put everything in a mixing bowl.
- 3
Add fifteen milliliters of cooking oil, two grams of salt, one gram of MSG, two grams of ground cumin, one gram of black pepper and two grams of chili powder to the bowl and stir with chopsticks so the vegetables are evenly coated; set aside.
- 4
Heat a flat pan or griddle over medium heat, add five milliliters of cooking oil and swirl to coat. Crack in the egg, beat the white into the yolk with the spatula and spread it into a thin round crepe a little smaller than the pancake.
- 5
Lay one pancake flat on the crepe so the crepe clings to it, flip pancake and crepe together with the crepe on top, turn down the heat and set aside.
- 6
Spread the dressed vegetables evenly over the surface, leaving about one centimeter bare at the edges so nothing leaks when you fold.
- 7
Cover with a second pancake and press gently with the spatula so the two layers adhere.
- 8
Cook over medium-low heat for two minutes until the underside is lightly golden, flip the whole packet and cook another two minutes until the second side is golden and glossy.
- 9
Turn to the lowest heat for one more minute until both sides are golden and the vegetables are cooked through; you can test with a chopstick pushed into the center, which should meet no resistance.
- 10
Turn off the heat, fold both sides of the pancake toward the center to make a rectangle about ten centimeters wide, cut it in half with the spatula or a knife and plate.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.