Pan-Fried Pork and Shrimp Vegetable Wraps
A classic Beijing dish, Guo Hong Cai He (pan-fried vegetable-wrapped meat patties) boasts a golden exterior and light, fragrant flavor. Made by wrapping minced meat in vegetable leaves before pan-frying and baking, the finished patties have no visible vegetable wrapping, yet carry a distinct vegetable note from the infused leaves.
Ingredients
Pork (skinned, sinews removed, minced)
175 g
Shrimp (minced)
75 g
Water chestnut (peeled, broken up, minced)
1
Vegetable leaves (washed and blanched)
3-4 slices
Eggs (beaten for batter)
2
Shaoxing wine
12.5 g
Salt
6.5 g
Flour
a pinch
MSG
a pinch
Chicken fat
a pinch
Broth
a pinch
Lard (actual consumption to taste, not listed in raw materials)
500 g
Instructions
1
Prepare the meat filling
Skin the pork and remove the sinews, then mince it separately from the shrimp. Peel the water chestnuts, break them into pieces, and mince as well. Place all three ingredients in a bowl, add the salt, MSG, and a small amount of lard, and mix until evenly combined.
2
Assemble the vegetable wraps
Wash the vegetable leaves and blanch them briefly in boiling water. Lay the leaves flat on a cutting board. Evenly spread the pork, shrimp, and water chestnut mixture over the leaves, pressing it into a neat square shape. Cover the meat layer with another layer of leaves, gently press the four edges flat and tidy them up, then cut into 16 to 20 small squares (called "vegetable wraps"). Use a knife to lift the squares onto a plate, arranging them in neat rows.
3
Prepare the egg batter
Beat one egg in a bowl, add the flour and stir into a thick batter. Then crack in the second egg and continue stirring until the mixture becomes a moderately thick, smooth yellow batter.
4
Pan-fry the wraps
In a clean pan, add 500 g of lard and heat it (do not overheat, or the wraps will scorch; if it is not hot enough, the batter will stick together and not turn freely). Hold the pan and slowly rotate it so the oil spreads out evenly. Pick up each vegetable wrap, dip it in the yellow batter, and place it in the pan in rows; pan-fry until golden. While frying, lift the pan and slowly rotate it so each wrap receives even heat and browns uniformly. Once the first side is done, flip the wraps to fry the other side, keeping the same arrangement. Finally, pour off the lard, add the chicken fat and broth, simmer briefly over low heat, then transfer the wraps to a serving plate and serve.
