Pan-Fried Chinese Meat Pies (Xian Bing, 馅儿饼)

This week’s recipe is a childhood favourite: Chinese xian bing, or meat pies! My grandmother used to make these every time we went to Beijing to visit. And now, with quarantine boredom as an excuse to experiment more in the kitchen, these Chinese xian bing have made a reappearance on our kitchen table.

They’re a lovely pancake-esque package of pork & veggies wrapped in a thin layer of dough. Each bite starts with a crispy outer layer, followed by the chewiness of the dough, and ending with a savoury burst of flavour with the pork & napa cabbage filling.

Before we get into the recipe, Pin this image to Pinterest so you have it saved for later (and to help me share this recipe with more people)!

I’ve been having quite a bit of fun with some new food photography props that I bought with my mom the other day 🙂 Although I’m still not entirely happy with the shots I’m taking, but it’s a learning curve! My goal is to be more aware of rules of composition and integrate them more into my photos.

If anyone has any photography tips or feedback for me, please be sure to leave them in the comments below (or send me a DM on Instagram)!

Xian Bing dough and filling

The dough for these Chinese xian bing is pretty simple! Just flour, salt, and water. There’s more water in it that you would find in a dough for dumpling wrappers or noodles. This allows for the dough to be softer, more flexible, and easier to handle. In other words, it can stretch and get really thin as you pack in filling.

As for the filling, you can choose to make the one indicated in the recipe below, try this recipe from my Pork & Napa Steamed Buns, or come up with your own! Just remember — essential components of a delicious filling are ginger, green onion, soy sauce, oil, and salt.

Assembling the Xian Bing

Although assembling the Chinese xian bing can be a little complicated at first, practice makes perfect! Start off with wrapping smaller fillings, and try to pack in more as you get more skilled. Hopefully these step-by-step images can help you out!

1. First, start by portioning out your rested dough into 30g portions, about the size of a golf ball. If you don’t have a food scale, just get them as even as possible. (Psst … I got mine on Amazon and use it every single time I cook or bake a recipe!)

2. Next, press down one portion into a flat disc with your fingers onto the cutting board or work surface. Make sure your hands and fingers are greased with oil!

3. Join your thumb and forefinger together on your non-dominant hand to make a circle (like the OK-symbol). Place the dough disc on here.

4. Take a generous spoonful of filling and place it on top of the disc. (The more filling, the thinner the dough layer will become, and the better the xian bing will be!)

5. With your thumb on your other hand, carefully press the filling down. As you press, the dough will stretch and droop down below your fingers.

6. Keep pressing until all the filling has been pressed into and enveloped by the dough. Make sure to leave a ring of dough uncovered, sitting on top of your hand.

7. Pinch together the edges of the dough and seal the xian bing.

8. In a fry pan with higher sides, heat some oil on medium heat. Place a xian bing seal-side down. Moreover, use your fingers to press it down so it’s a flatter, pancake-esque shape rather than a ball. (Be careful that you don’t burn yourself!)

9. Fry until golden-brown, flipping to cook both sides. Prop up the xian bing on its side, along the sides of the pan to cook and brown the sides as well. Repeat for all the Chinese xian bing and enjoy!

Serve warm with Chinese black vinegar and sesame oil for dipping. Keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat on a pan for optimum crispiness!

Lastly, a BONUS PICTURE: When I was taking pictures for this blog post, Barley (my sister’s doggo) kept sticking his nose into my scene 😉 We brought him back at the end to take this shot! What a great model. Follow his Instagram account @barleybubs for more doggy cuteness!

Did you make this recipe? Share it with me on social media and tag me @houbakes so I can see and share it!

Pan-Fried Meat Pies (Xian Bing, 馅儿饼)

Recipe by Moli & Sophia HouCourse: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

20

xian bing

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Did you make this recipe? Share it with me on social media and tag me @houbakes so I can see and share it!

Ingredients

• For the Dough

• 500g (1lb) flour

• 5g (1 1/4 tsp) salt

• 350mL(1 1/2 cup) warm water, +1-2 tbsp if needed

• For the Oil

• 3 slices ginger (25g)

• 1/4 large onion (100g)

• 6in green onion, cut into 1-inch sections (50g)

• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

• For the Filling

• 1-2 leaves napa cabbage

• 500g (1 lb) ground pork

• 1 1/4 tsp (5g) salt

• 1 tbsp (15g) light soy sauce （生抽）

• 1 tsp (5g) dark soy sauce （老抽）

• pinch (1g) 5 spice powder （五香粉）

• 1/2 tsp (3g) sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp (7g) chicken stock powder (鸡精）

• 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger

• 1 tbsp minced green onion

• 1 egg, raw

Directions

• Prepare the Dough
• In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and water with chopsticks or a wooden spoon. Add the extra 1-2 tbsp of water if necessary; the dough should be quite soft. Knead until well combined.
• Place the ball of dough in the mixing bowl, and cover with a few spoonfuls of oil. Cover with a pot lid at set aside to let rest for 10 min.
• Flavour oil with aromatics
• In a pan, heat 2-3 tbsp oil. Add ginger, onion, and green onion, and fry/sauté until lightly browned and fragrant.
• Discard the ginger, onion, and green onion, and set the oil aside.
• Prepare the filling
• Finely chop napa cabbage into a small dice. Combine with 1/4 tsp salt and let rest on the side for 5 minutes.
• In a small mixing bowl or pot, combine all the filling ingredients with the prepared onion-ginger oil and mix well.
• Using your hands or a cheesecloth, squeeze out the excess liquid from the napa cabbage. Discard the liquid, and add the cabbage to the filling.
• Assemble and pan-fry
• Prepare a small bowl with about 1/2 cup oil. Use this to cover your hands in oil to prevent sticking.
• Portion out the dough into small balls about 30g each (golf ball size).
• To assemble: Take one ball and press down slightly on the cutting board to make a flat disc.
• Join your thumb and forefinger together on your non-dominant hand to make a circle (like the OK-symbol). Place the dough disc on here.
• Take a generous spoonful of filling and place it on top of the disc. (The more filling, the thinner the dough layer will become, and the better the xian bing will be!)
• With your thumb on your other hand, carefully press the filling down. As you press, the dough will stretch and droop down below your fingers. Keep pressing until all the filling has been pressed into and enveloped by the dough. Make sure to leave a ring of dough uncovered, sitting on top of your hand.
• Pinch together the edges of the dough and seal the xian bing.
• In a fry pan with higher sides, heat some oil on medium heat. Place a xian bing seal-side down. Use your fingers to press it down so it’s a flatter, pancake-esque shape rather than a ball. (Be careful that you don’t burn yourself!)
• Fry until golden-brown, flipping to cook both sides. Prop up the xian bing on its side, along the sides of the pan to cook and brown the sides as well.
• Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling! Enjoy while warm; serve with sesame oil and Chinese black vinegar for dipping. Refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month. Best reheated on a pan, rather than in the microwave.

Notes

• This is easiest with two people: one person assembling the xian bing, and one person at the stove to fry them.