Crispy Stuffed Flatbread (Guo Kui/锅盔)
A delicious Chinese street food, crispy stuffed flatbread is beloved for its delectable taste and pleasing texture.
- 500 g all-purpose flour (aka plain flour (see note 1))
- 300 g water
- Cooking oil (for coating the dough)
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour (aka plain flour)
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 tablespoon cooking oil
- 280 g ground beef (or pork/chicken)
- 4 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground Sichuan pepper
- 6 stalk scallions (finely chopped)
- Cooking oil (for pan-frying)
- Put flour into a mixing bowl. Add water in batches while mixing with chopsticks. Then combine and knead until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Knead again until it becomes very smooth (see note 2 if using a stand mixer).
- Rub a little oil all over the dough to form a thin coating. Flatten it with your hands, then cut it into 10 equal pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for a further 30 minutes.
- Put flour and salt into a small bowl. Then heat oil in a pan until it smokes. Pour the hot oil over the flour. Stir well to remove any lumps. Set aside.
- Put ground beef, water, Shaoxing rice wine, salt, and white pepper into a mixing bowl. Swirl with chopsticks in the same direction until the liquid is fully absorbed and the meat becomes sticky. Divide the filling into 10 portions. Set aside.
- With your fingers, flatten a piece of dough into a tennis racket shape (see note 3). Brush a layer of the flour & oil paste over, then sprinkle with ground Sichuan pepper. Place one portion of the meat in the middle of the racket head end of the dough, then top with chopped scallions generously.
- Wrap the meat with the outer part of the dough, then roll the stuffed dough towards the handle part of the racket while stretching it as thin as possible.
- Once a layered cylinder forms, stand it on one end then press it down with your fingers until it turns into a disc about ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick. Repeat the procedure to assemble other flatbreads.
- In a large skillet/frying pan, heat oil just enough to cover the entire surface over high heat. Once hot, put in the flatbread. Reduce the heat to medium-low and leave to fry.
- Turn the flatbread over once the first side turns golden. When the second side is done, transfer the flatbread onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
Add water in batches while mixing with chopsticks. Then combine and knead until a soft dough forms.
Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Knead again until it becomes very smooth (see note 2 if using a stand mixer). Rub a little oil all over the dough to form a thin coating.
Flatten it with your hands, then cut it into 10 equal pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for a further 30 minutes.
Put ground beef, water, Shaoxing rice wine, salt, and white pepper into a mixing bowl. Swirl with chopsticks in the same direction until the liquid is fully absorbed and the meat becomes sticky. With your fingers, flatten a piece of dough into a tennis racket shape (see note 3).
Brush a layer of the flour & oil paste over, then sprinkle with ground Sichuan pepper. Place one portion of the meat in the middle of the racket head end of the dough, then top with chopped scallions generously.
Wrap the meat with the outer part of the dough, then roll the stuffed dough towards the handle part of the racket while stretching it as thin as possible. Once a layered cylinder forms, stand it on one end then press it down with your fingers until it turns into a disc about ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick. Repeat the procedure to assemble other flatbreads.
In a large skillet/frying pan, heat oil just enough to cover the entire surface over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and leave to fry. Turn the flatbread over once the first side turns golden.
When the second side is done, transfer the flatbread onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
