Hainan Pan-Fried Cake
Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with many thin flaky layers and a well-balanced saltiness accented by garlic and scallion.
Ingredients
refined flour
500 g
baking powder
10 g
eggs
4
fine salt
10 g
MSG
5 g
white pepper
7 g
minced garlic
75 g
minced scallion
50 g
spices
a pinch
refined lard
to taste
Instructions
1
Step 1
Combine the refined flour and baking powder, form a hollow well in the middle, pour in the beaten eggs, and mix in warm water at roughly 30°C. Knead repeatedly until a smooth dough forms, cover with a clean damp cloth, and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead once more, then press the dough flat. Use a long rolling pin to roll it into a very thin, even sheet (the thinner and more even, the better), then brush the surface evenly with lard.
2
Step 2
Stir the fine salt, MSG, spices, and white pepper together until evenly blended, then sprinkle the mixture uniformly over the thin dough sheet. Mix the minced garlic and minced scallion together and scatter a thin, even layer on top. Roll the sheet up from the outer edge inward into a long round rope, then cut it into 25 cm long segments. Shape each segment into a round ball, press it flat, and roll it out into a round cake about 1 cm thick.
3
Step 3
Heat a pan over high heat and add oil. When the oil reaches about 40% hot, lay the raw cakes in and pan-fry over low heat, flipping them continuously so both sides cook and brown evenly. Once they turn a golden yellow, remove them from the pan and squeeze off the excess oil. Cut each cake into equal radial wedges and arrange on a plate to serve.
