Serves: 4
Total Calories: 200

1 cup water
2 cups flour
flour
peanut oil

1. Boil water then gradually add to flour, blending with a wooden spoon. Transfer the dough to a board and knead until soft (do not work it too much). Cover with a damp towel and let stand 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Flour the board lightly. Roll and pull out the dough to form a long thin cylinder, about 2 inches in diameter.

3. Cut the cylinder crosswise in 1/2- to 1-inch slices (or pinch off walnut-size pieces and roll into balls then press into 1/2- to 1-inch disks).

4. Flatten slices or disks with the palm of the hand until they're about 1/4-inch thick. Then lightly brush their tops with oil.

5. Stack the slices in pairs, with their oiled surfaces touching. (This makes it possible to separate them easily after they're cooked.) Dust the outside surfaces lightly with flour.

6. With a rolling pin, roll each pair into a thin round cake, about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. (Work lightly and evenly from the center, rolling each as paper-thin as possible. Turn each pancake pair over to check the edges for uniform thickness.)

7. Heat an ungreased (6-inch) skillet over medium-low heat. Add one pancake pair at a time and cook about 1 minute on each side to brown lightly. (Some cooks like to work with rolling pin and board near the stove so they can roll out the second pancake while the first one cooks.)

8. As soon as each pair is done, tear it apart to separate the doilies. Then stack the doilies and cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.

NOTE: Peking doilies are also called Moo Shoo Pancakes, Mandarin Pancakes or Spring Cakes. These delicate pancakes are always cooked in pairs, because when rolled out, they are too fragile to be cooked alone. If they are not to be used immediately, wrap and refrigerate them then steam about 10 minutes to soften before using. (They can even be steamed with basic boiled rice if a piece of foil is placed between the rice and the doilies to keep them from sticking.) Peking doilies may also be cooked in advance, frozen, then steamed-without preliminary thawing-to soften.

VARIATION:
* For the peanut oil, substitute either sesame oil or melted lard.

The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 200
Calories from Fat: 0

More Recipes from the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook Cookbook:
*Banquet Dishes
Bird's Nest Soup I
Bird's Nest Soup II
Peking Doilies
Peking Duck (Modified Version)
Peking Duck Dips
Shark's Fin Soup I
Shark's Fin Soup II
Shark's Fin in Ham Sauce
Steamed Chicken Stuffed with Bird's Nest
Winter Melon Pond
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Chicken I
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Chicken II
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Chicken III
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Duck I
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Duck II
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Subgum I
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Subgum II