Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Cafe--Mandarin Pancakes and Mushu Pork

About half of the time when you order mushu pork at a Chinese restaurant, they provide you with cheap, ordinary flour tortillas.  I don't know about you, but it always makes me wish I'd ordered something else.  Mandarin pancakes are what is used with proper mushu pork dishes.  These, of course, are the Chinese answer to Mexican burritos.  They're a little time consuming, but really not all that difficult, and they're all from food storage.  Mandarin pancakes are the perfect accompaniment to stir-fried cabbage, broccoli, carrots, onions and other good things that should be getting harvested from the garden any moment now.

Mandarin Pancakes
2 cups flour
1 cup boiling water
sesame oil

In a small bowl, add the boiling water to the flour and stir with a fork until cool enough to handle.   Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.  Let rest 30 minutes.

Roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.  Cut circles with a glass or cookie cutter and set aside.

Spread about 1 teaspoon of sesame oil on the counter.  Dip each circle in oil and put two oiled circles together with the oil in the middle.

Roll out each sandwiched circle of dough until it is very thin.  Cook until translucent and slap down on counter.  Separate the cooked pancake into two pancakes and set aside.

Note.  A tortilla press works very well for rolling and cooking.

Mushu Pork
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1 pint canned pork
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
2 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage
1 carrot, coarsely grated or julienned
3 green onions, sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten with 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Hoisin sauce

Combine soy sauce, sherry, and hoisin sauce in a bowl.  Add the pork and toss to coat evenly.  Cover, refrigerate, and marinate for 30 minutes.  Combine vegetables in a medium bowl.  In a small bowl beat the eggs with salt and 1 tablespoon peanut oil.  Cook the eggs like scrambled eggs, or for more attractive presentation, cook the eggs like a pancake and remove when dry on top.  Transfer to a platter, cool slightly, and cut into strips.

Return skillet to stove and pour in remaining two tablespoons of peanut oil.  Saute garlic, onions, and ginger about 1 minute.  Add the pork and stir fry two minutes.  Add in the vegetables and chicken stock and stir fry two more minutes.  Stir in liquids and cook, stirring until the sauce boils, about 1 minute.  Gently stir in the egg and combine well.  To serve, spread a little hoisin sauce on a warm Mandarin pancake.  Spoon about 1/2 cup of mushu pork mixture in the center of the pancake and then wrap it like a burrito.