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Spring Pancakes with Hoisin Sauce

Spring pancakes originated in northern China at least 1,500 years ago. Traditionally, they were  eaten on the solstice to celebrate the beginning of spring. These chewy little wrappers are also filled and deep fried to make spring rolls. Hoisin or black bean sauce is the essential condiment here. Hoisin is the sweeter, smoother version, made with fermented soybeans, (also known as black beans) sugar or honey, rice wine, vinegar, sesame paste, chili, and garlic. Black bean sauce is a little textured and less sweet. I like to make the black bean sauce style and sweeten it with a little honey. Armed with pancakes and hoisin, there are endless incredible meals. A fun way to serve it is to prepare lots of little fillings and let everyone build their own perfect wrap.  Classic fillings include Moo Shu Pork  (see below or click here for recipe) and Peking Duck. If you don’t have Chinese black beans on hand, Japanese miso makes an excellent substitute. That said, make sure you pick up some salted black beans at your local Chinese market for an incredible flavor that is essential to Chinese cuisine.  

Ingredients

Scale

Pancakes

  • 2 cups sifted bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 cup boiling water

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup salted black beans
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sesame paste (tahini)
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine
  • 2 teaspoons grated garlic and ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon 5 spice powder

Instructions

Directions:

  1. Combine dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  2. Heat water and add sesame oil to water.
  3. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix into a soft dough.
  4. Let dough rest for 30 minutes.
  5. Scoop dough into 1 oz portions (one heaping tablespoon).
  6. Dust with flour, flatten, and roll into 4-inch rounds.
  7. Brush one round with sesame oil, then place a second round on top.
  8. Roll the two pieces together until they ⅛-inch thick and about 7-8 inches wide.
  9. Heat pan to medium high heat.
  10. In dry pan, cook pancakes for about 2 minutes per side, or until brown dots appear.
  11. Allow to cool and then peel apart.
  12. Spread with hoisin sauce and wrap up with your favorite fillings

  • Author: Ben Lester

Find it online: https://localgrain.org/spring-pancakes/