Whenever I attend a Chinese banquet dinner, the final course is always a flaky crepe filled with red bean paste that is sweet and flaky, called red bean pancake (锅饼/woh bang).

I have wanted to make this snack for a while, and with only ten days left before the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration, it’s the perfect time to stop procrastinating.

There are different ways to make red bean paste pancakes. The first method involves making a simple dough, rolling it flat, and wrapping the red bean filling inside. The second method requires making a pancake batter, pan frying to form a pancake, then wrapping the filling and frying it again.

Although the first two methods of making red bean pancakes are relatively simple, the third approach is the most commonly used in Chinese restaurants in Malaysia. This method involves creating a flaky Chinese pastry that perfectly encases the filling and deep-fries it. While it may take longer, the result is worth it. By following this recipe, you will achieve the desired outcome that you would expect from a Chinese restaurant.

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Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make this red bean paste pancake.

Make the flaky Chinese puff pastry.

This is the most important step. This pancake needs oil and water dough to make a flaky pastry.

1. Make the oil dough

The oil dough only consists of two ingredients. The first is the all-purpose flour (plain flour), and the second is shortening. You can use butter, but shortening is easier to handle. All you need is to combine the shortening and the flour. It’s much easier to use a clean hand to do it. Mix and combine until it forms a dough and becomes nonsticky, then divide into equal portions of 24 g each.

2. Make the water dough

The second step is to prepare the water dough. Combine the all-purpose flour with custard powder, icing sugar, and butter. Rub in the butter until it looks like bread crumbs.

Next, add water. As a general rule, the water required is about 60% of the combined weight of the flour. For instance, if the combined weight of flour and custard powder is 100g, then the water I use will be 60 ml. However, this is not always accurate as it depends on the quality of the flour. You may need to adjust by adding more water or flour during the process. The goal is to form a shiny, stretchy dough that no longer sticks to the bowl. 

The next step is to knead the dough until it becomes stretchable, like making bread. It is easier to work by transferring the dough to a work surface, such as a pastry mat. Knead the dough until it becomes very stretchable, and it is necessary because you need to roll it out without breaking it.

After that, divide the water dough into small portions, about 60g each. 

Note: 

• Although the process is similar to making bread, I use regular flour instead of high-protein flour, as I will fry the dough in the end. 
• You may also notice that the color of the dough has now turned yellow because of the custard powder I added. 
• If you’re making a large batch, you can put the dough into a food processor with a dough hook.

3. Prepare the red bean paste filling

To save time, I use store-bought sweet red bean paste instead of making it from scratch. Another popular sweet filling is lotus paste. These pastes are widely available in most bakery suppliers and Asian grocery stores.

To prepare the fillings, roll 40g of sweet red bean filling into a rectangle on a plastic sheet. I prefer to make it 14cm x 8cm, but you can choose your preferred size and shape. Repeat this step for the rest of the fillings. Once done, put the fillings into the refrigerator. I recommend storing them in the fridge as the fillings can become too soft and messy to handle if they remain at room temperature. (Please refer to the video in this article.)

4. Encase the filling into the dough

1. Use your palm to press down the water dough, ensuring the sides are thinner than the center. 
2. Then, place the oil dough on top of the water dough and wrap it up. 
3. Next, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to form a rectangle, then roll it up like a Swiss roll. 
4. Roll out the dough again, then roll it up like a Swiss roll for the second time.
5. After that, put the roll-up dough upright, press it down, and do the final rolling to make it a large rectangle. 
6. Roll it out to be paper thin, place the filling on one side, and fold the other side over to cover it. 
7. Press and seal all sides securely, then cut away the excess pastry. (Please refer to the video for a visual demonstration of the process.)

5. Deep-fry the red bean pancake

1. Heat some oil until it reaches a temperature of around 160 degrees Celsius, and then proceed to deep-fry the pancake at medium heat until it turns golden brown. 
2. Once both sides have turned golden, carefully remove it from the wok and transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. 
3. Allow it to cool for roughly a minute until it is manageable, then cut it into large pieces. 

The pancake is extremely crispy, so you will enjoy hearing the cracking sound as you cut it.

Other Chinese recipes related to this delicious pancake

If you enjoy this sweet red bean pancake, you might also like to try the following recipes.

• Scallion pancake (葱油饼) has a crusty and crispy surface, with scallions sandwiched between layers of pastry inside. Try this recipe if you like traditional Chinese snacks.
• Taiwanese pineapple cake 鳳梨酥 is a famous bakery treat that can be enjoyed all year round. This delectable pastry has a crumbly texture that almost melts in your mouth, with a flavorful pineapple jam filling inside.

Yield: 7 pancakes

Red bean pancake (豆沙鍋餅)

Print

Flaky and crispy red bean pancake (豆沙锅饼) fit for Chinese banquet dinner. It is also best as dessert for any occasion.

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Oil dough:

• 125g all-purpose flour
• 60g shortening

Water dough

• 240g all-purpose flour
• 20g icing sugar
• 30g custard powder
• 45g butter
• 150ml water

Filling

• 280g Red bean paste

Instructions

Oil dough

1. Combine the shortening and the flour to form the oil dough. Divide to small portions, about 24g each.

Water dough

1. Combine the all-purpose flour with custard powder, icing sugar, and butter. 
2. Add water to form a shiny, stretchy dough that no longer sticks to the bowl. 
3. Knead the dough until it becomes stretchable. After that, divide the water dough into small portions, about 60g each. 

Red bean filling: 

1. Roll 40g of red bean paste into a 14cm x 8cm rectangle on a plastic sheet. Repeat this step for the rest of the fillings. 
2. Once done, put the fillings into the refrigerator.

Encase the filling: 

1. Use your palm to press down the water dough, ensuring the sides are thinner than the center. 
2. Then, place the oil dough on top of the water dough and wrap it up. Next, roll out the dough to form a rectangle, then roll it up like a Swiss roll.  
3. Roll out the dough again, then roll it up like a Swiss roll.  After that, put the roll-up dough upright, press it down, and do the final rolling to make it a large rectangle.  
4. Roll it out to be paper thin, place the filling on one side, and fold the other side over to cover it.  
5. Press and seal all sides securely, then cut away the excess pastry. (Please refer to the video for a visual demonstration of the process.)

Deep-fry the pancake

1. Deep-fry the pancake until it turns golden brown. 
2. Remove it from the wok and transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. 
3. Allow it to cool for roughly a minute until it is manageable, then cut it into large pieces. 

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

7

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 409Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 113mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 3gSugar: 16gProtein: 8g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 1/25/2024