Yield: 4 Servings

Woks of Life

Ready for a great Moo-Shu chicken recipe that’s higher quality than takeout? This is how we used to make it in our family restaurant—a rapidly disappearing flavorful version of the dish.

Chicken and marinade:

• 8oz chicken breast, (sliced in thin strips)
• 1TBS water
• 1tsp cornstarch
• 1tsp oil
• ½tsp sesame oil
• 1pinch of ground white pepper

For the rest of the dish:

• 3TBS oil (divided)
• 2large eggs (beaten)
• 2TBS hot water
• 1TBS hoisin sauce (plus extra for spreading on the pancakes)
• 1TBS oyster sauce
• 1tsp light soy sauce
• ½tsp sesame oil
• 2cloves of garlic (minced)
• 3cups of napa cabbage (shredded)
• 5dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked and sliced, about ½ cup)
• 1TBS dried wood ear mushrooms (soaked and roughly chopped, about ½ cup)
• ½cup bamboo shoots (soaked and julienned)
• ¼cup dried lily flowers (soaked and ends removed)
• 1TBS Shaoxing wine
• 2scallions (split and sliced into 2-inch pieces)
• Mandarin pancakes

Mix the sliced chicken and marinade ingredients in a bowl until well-incorporated and set aside for 15 minutes.

Pour 1 TBS oil into a heated frying pan and pour in the beaten eggs to make an omelet. Transfer to a cutting board and cut the egg omelet into thin strips. Set aside. Combine the hot water, 1 TBS hoisin sauce, 1 TBS oyster sauce, 1 tsp light soy sauce, and ½ tsp sesame oil in a bowl. Stir until well-combined and set aside.

Heat another TBS of oil in your wok or large skillet until it’s almost smoking and add the chicken. Lightly sear on all sides until about 80% done and remove from the wok. Set aside.

Add an additional TBS of oil to the wok and turn the heat up to high. Stir in the garlic, followed immediately by the cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and lily flowers. Give everything a good stir for 1 minute. Add the Shaoxing wine and stir-fry for another 20 seconds.

Next, add the sauce mixture, cooked chicken, and egg strips. The pan should be hot enough so that there is little or no residual liquid left at the bottom of the pan. Toss in the scallions and serve with the pancakes and extra hoisin sauce!

Mandarin Pancakes

Yield: 12 7-inch Pancakes

Woks of Life

Ready for a great Moo Shu chicken recipe that’s higher quality than takeout? This is how we used to make it in our family restaurant—a rapidly disappearing flavorful version of the dish.

• 1½cups flour
• ⅛tsp salt
• ⅔cup boiling water
• 1tsp oil

Prepare mandarin pancakes:

Mix the flour and salt in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling hot water into the flour mixture and use chopsticks or a spatula to mix until a dough ball forms. Once it is cool enough to handle, knead the dough for 8 minutes until smooth, adding flour if the dough is too sticky. Cover with plastic and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

Roll the dough into a cylinder and cut into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a dough ball, then flatten them out into a small disc about 2 inches in diameter. Lightly brush 6 of the discs with oil, ensuring the sides of the discs are also brushed with oil. Layer the remaining 6 discs over the 6 oiled discs so you have 6 pieces, each comprised of 2 discs.

Use a rolling pin to roll the discs into 7-inch circles, flipping the pancakes frequently so both dough discs are rolled into the same size.

Heat a wok or frying pan over medium low heat and place one pancake into the pan. After 30 to 45 seconds, you should see air pockets begin to form between the two pancakes. Flip the pancake; it should be white with just a couple of faint brown patches. Any more than that, and they are overcooked. After another 30 seconds, the air pockets should be large enough to separate the two pancakes. Remove the pancake to a plate and let it cool for another 30 seconds. Now carefully pull apart the two pancakes at the seams. Place finished pancakes onto a plate and cover with a warm kitchen towel. Repeat until all pancakes are done.

The pancakes can be reheated in a steamer for about a minute when ready to serve. They also keep in the freezer for up to 3 weeks if you decide to make a larger batch.