Becoming a Dough Magician
It is only fitting that my first fobby post is for these delectable triangles of meat and dough. I call them meat pancakes for my American friends, but I've never felt like that name does them justice. Pancakes conjure an image of diner-style, white batter in formation on a commercial griddle. These "rou bing" are round and flat, but that's where the similarities end. The outside is crunchy and flaky, while the soft, inner layers are an evenly-distributed cross section of savory, meaty shelves. White Boyfriend is more of a steak and potatoes kind of guy, but he can chow down on these like they're tortilla chips. While traditionally Beijingers dip rou bing in black vinegar, he will suddenly transform into a mixologist in the kitchen, whipping together some mysterious concoction with bottles clanging and finger-licking at meticulous intervals.
Rou bing takes time to master, but it's easier than it looks and even easier to use to impress your white friends. The first step is the hardest--that is to say the dough must go through a transformation, from some kind of messy, sticky caterpillar to a smooth-as-a-baby's-bottom butterfly. This requires kneading skills that you should probably YouTube if you don't know how. I can only hold your hand so far. The good news is if you make a good dough, it's pretty much smooth sailing the rest of the way.
While the dough rests, you make the filling. The filling goes through the opposite transformation--it Benjamin-Buttons from bright, vibrant colors to a mushy, tannish blob. However, this blob will smell deliciously fragrant and good enough to eat--and actually I do try it. This is where I must insert a disclaimer that YOU EAT RAW MEAT AT YOUR OWN RISK. My method is I put a tiny amount on my tongue, I taste the seasoning, and I spit it out. Then I compulsively wash my tongue in the sink with water. You do whatever feels right and not crazy to you.
Meanwhile, you should also start pre-heating a large, cast-iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. You want to prep this ahead of time so that when you cook the pancake, it will crisp up on the outside but also cook the inside evenly.
Now's the fun part--and where you can really impress all your white friends like you're some kind of dough magician! Cut a small piece of dough from your dough ball. Roll out into a circle. Make a slit that is the radius of said circle. Spread an even layer of filling on the circle. Then, roll this dough from one edge of the radius all the way around until you have a cone. Pinch all the edges firmly so that none of the goodness leaks out. Did I just blow your mind?
Here is the before (circle with filling in front) and after (dough cone in back):
Now let me break it down:
The reason why we go to these lengths is to ensure those even layers of meat and filling; you'll geek out when you cut into it, like a geologist admiring a beautifully excavated sedimentary rock formation.
When you have your cone, you should set it aside and make the next cone. This gives cone #1 time to rest, because it's very tired and needs time to relax before you stress it out by rolling it into a flat pancake. When it's time to roll cone #1 out, make sure your working surface is properly dusted with flour. You don't want all your hard work to be for naught if this stubborn sucker decides to make a last ditch effort to grab onto your table for dear life. Gingerly press down on the cone with the palm of your hand. Slowly work the flattened cone into a pancake with the rolling pin, making sure to rotate the pancake so the filling distributes evenly.
At this point your pan should be quite hot. In fact, it may have started smoking and set off the fire alarm. This is where White Boyfriend removes himself from the couch and comes in handy as a fire alarm remover. Second disclaimer: you should never remove your fire alarm, even if it's being incredibly annoying. Once the fire alarm situation is settled, you can pour some oil into the pan and finally cook up your meat pancakes until golden brown on either side. It is totally ok to start eating while White Boyfriend makes his weird sauce. It's going to take him a while.
For the straight-up meat pancake recipe, click here.