Inspired by a street stall we ate at in Xi’an, I knew the minute I sank my teeth into this crispy treat that I had to add this stuffed pancake to our recipe collection. It’s a layered, rolled, crispy pancake with spiced pork and cabbage in the middle.
Watching the vendors put this snack together was one of the best parts of our street food experience. For the Xi’an China tourist price of 10 RMB each (about $1.50), and the entertainment value of the experience, these snacks were a bargain!
These street cooks really make it look easy; they were making them as fast as people were lining up for them. Though the stuffed recipe seems simple, it took me four tries until I was confident enough to post the recipe. Lots of trial and error, but the end product is pretty comparable to the real thing, if a little less oily. Which is always a good thing!
(Update: We didn’t make this recipe halal, but you can certainly do so by substituting the pork for a halal meat of your choice!)
Here’s the final Xi’an stuffed pancake recipe:
Makes 8 stuffed pancakes
Recipe Instructions
Start by making the dough. Add the flour, water, and salt to a mixing bowl and mix until it forms a dough. Knead for 5 minutes. Set aside and cover with a damp kitchen towel to rest for at least 30 minutes but an hour is better if you have the time.
Then make the filling components. In a small bowl, combine the pork, five spice powder, cumin, soy sauce, pinch of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, combine the cabbage, scallion, garlic powder, sesame oil, and white pepper.
Now you’re ready to assemble the stuffed pancakes.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and keep the unused dough covered with a damp towel. Next, use a couple drops of oil to lightly oil your work surface. A bamboo or wood cutting board works well.
Roll one of the dough pieces into a long, thin rectangle about four inches wide.
No need to make it perfect. Very lightly oil the dough and spread on about an eighth of your pork mixture. Then add about 2 tablespoons cabbage to one end.
Roll the dough forward into a cylinder.
Then stand it on one end so it’s a standing cylinder. Press the dough down into a flat pancake (about 3/4 inch thick, with a diameter of about 3 1/2 inches) with one hand and then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
These measurements are just meant to give you a general idea so no need to get out any tape measures!
Next, pour ½ cup oil into a small cast iron skillet or pan and heat to about 300 degrees. Place pancakes into the pan (we did 3 at a time) and fry until golden. Carefully flip and fry on the other side (about 3 minutes per side). Always be extra careful when working with hot oil.
When golden brown, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. These Xi’an stuffed pancake rolls are best eaten as soon as they come out of the pan, but they can also be placed in the refrigerator or even frozen and re-toasted in the oven.
Xi’an Stuffed Pancakes
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 1 cup ground pork (or ground lamb, beef, or chicken)
- ½ teaspoon five spice powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
- 1 cup green cabbage (finely chopped)
- 1 scallion (chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Start by making the dough. Add the flour, water, and salt to a mixing bowl and mix until it forms a dough. Knead for 5 minutes. Set aside and cover with a damp kitchen towel to rest.
- Then make the filling components. In a small bowl, combine the pork, five spice, cumin, soy sauce, pinch of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, combine the cabbage, scallion, garlic powder, sesame oil, and white pepper.
- Now you're ready to assemble the pancakes. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and keep the unused dough covered with a damp towel. Next, use a couple drops of oil to lightly oil your work surface--a bamboo or wood cutting board works well. Roll one of the dough pieces into a long, thin rectangle about four inches wide. No need to make it perfect. Very lightly oil the dough and spread on about an eighth of your pork mixture. Then add about 2 tablespoons cabbage to one end. Roll the dough forward like a snail. Then stand it on one end so it's like a standing cylinder. Press the dough down into a flat pancake (about 3/4 inch thick, with a diameter of about 3 1/2 inches) with one hand and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. These measurements are just meant to give you a general idea so no need to get out any tape measures!
- Next, pour ½ cup oil into a small cast iron skillet or pan and heat to about 300 degrees. Place pancakes into the pan (we did 3 at a time) and fry until golden. Carefully flip and fry on the other side (about 3 minutes per side). Always be extra careful when working with hot oil.
- When golden brown, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. These pancake rolls are best eaten as soon as they come out of the pan, but they can also be placed in the refrigerator or even frozen and re-toasted in the oven.
Thank you for the recipe. I cooked the cabbage beforehand as I found it was a bit on the dry side. Cooked cabbage with extra cabbage stir fried over the pancakes tasted very good.
Hi S w, you’re welcome and glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve made these twice now and changed a bit around. My first batch was a mess. The dough got dry and hard to work with and cooked far too fast. I ended up finishing them in the oven. They weren’t bad but not what I was looking for. The second time around went much better. These are my notes.
Keeping the dough moist is very key, Saran Wrap wasn’t enough to keep my first batch moist, so use a damp towel. I also opted to use boiling water when making the dough.
Pinch the side edges closed as you roll, otherwise you’ll get spillage. Give yourself plenty of margins to accommodate for the filling spreading. If your dough is the right consistency you can flatten them quite a bit.
I also used a beef/pork mix and pre-cooked the filling second time around because I don’t trust my stove to cook at an even temperature. To make sure the filling wasn’t too loose, I added in mashed potatoes, like a croquette. It gives it a nice texture and makes rolling the bun much easier.
This is a nice recipe for killing time and ending up with a good treat. Thanks for sharing it!
Hi Ammy, thanks for sharing your experience with this recipe. One of the most important factors in this dough is hydration. Most people add too much flour, because the dough is sticky. Instead, leave the dough sticky and elastic, and use oil liberally on your surface and hands instead of flour. You’ll see the difference in the results. Happy cooking!
Hi could you please tell me what kind of cabbage you used? Is it napa cabbage, korean cabbage or american cabbage?
Thanks!
Hi Christine, it is American cabbage, like the kind used for cole slaw.
These look amazing! I’ll try making them next week! I’d like to make a batch vegetarian too, do you have any recommendations for a vegetarian substitute? I was thinking maybe mushrooms, tofu, or adzuki beans?
Thank you for sharing, I hope mine turn out just as good as yours!
Hi Matilda, if making these vegetarian, I would use finely chopped dried mushrooms (pre-soaked and reconstituted in hot water of course). I think tofu and adzuki beans would be too much filling.
Do you have any advice for doing a baked version of these? I tried brushing both sides with oil and then 20 minutes at 400, but they ended up very dry. The flavor of the filling was still great.
Hi Moo, these pancakes were made to be pan fried, so not surprised that baking them turned out dry. More oil and fat needs to be added to the dough for baked pancakes!