Chinese Food Made Easy By Ross Dobson Published by Murdoch Books RRP: $45
Lamb is commonly used in the north of China in stir-fries and dumplings and often spiked with cumin, a spice we don't typically associate with Chinese food. Here, the lamb is slow cooked, rendering it fork tender so it can be shredded and wrapped in warm pancakes.
Preparation: 15 minutes
Resting: 30 minutes
Cooking: 1¾ hours
1 kg boneless lamb shoulder
2 Lebanese (short) cucumbers, shredded
3 spring onions, cut into thin matchsticks
1 quantity Peking Pancakes (see below)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons hoi sin sauce 10g dried black fungus
80g vermicelli noodles
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
• Combine 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of the hoi sin sauce in a small bowl. Rub all over the lamb.
• Transfer the lamb to a snug fitting baking tray and pour 125 ml water into the tray.
• Cook for 1½ hours until the meat is dark golden. Remove to a plate and cover with foil for 30 minutes. Finely slice the lamb and transfer to a serving plate.
• Put the fungus in a heatproof bowl. Add boiling water to cover and leave for 15 minutes. Drain well and roughly chop.
• Put the noodles in a heatproof bowl. Add boiling water to cover and leaves for 10 minutes until the noodles are soft. Rinse under cold water and drain well.
• Combine the fungus and noodles in a bowl. Add the remaining sesame oil, cucumbers and spring onions and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl or plate.
• To serve, spread a small amount of the remaining hoi sin sauce on a pancake. Top with some lamb and the noodle salad and fold.
Ready-made Peking pancakes are sold in some Asian food stores but they are very easy to make at home. Two pancakes sandwich a thin layer of sesame oil. When gently pan-fried, the pancakes are golden on one side and softly steamed on the other. The perfect savoury pancake!
Makes: 24
Preparation: 10 minutes
Resting: 30 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1–2 tablespoons sesame oil
• Put the flour in a food processor. With the motor running, add 180ml boiling water, plus a little extra if needed, until it forms into a ball.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly-floured work surface and briefly knead to form a smooth ball. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Lightly flour a work surface and roll one portion of dough until it is 2–3 mm thick.
• Cut out circles using a 7cm round cutter to make at least 12 circles. Repeat with the other portion of the dough to make 24 circles in total.
• Lightly brush one side of half the circles with sesame oil and put another one on top, gently pressing them together to seal.
• Roll these circles on a lightly-floured surface until they are about 15cm across and very thin.
• Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium–high heat. Working in batches, cook the pancakes for about 1 minute each side until golden and steam puffs out from the centre.
• Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
These can be made a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge. To reheat, wrap in foil and cook in a 180°C/Gas 4 oven for 10 minutes.