Traditional Chinese meat pie(馅饼) with beef, large scallion and onion.
Traditional Chinese meat pie provides a crispy wrapper and savory filling. There are in fact many types of meat pie popular across the country. The fillings differ from one house to another. You can use pork, lamb, beef etc. This is a popular beef and onion version.
Cook’s Note
About the filling: flavors of the filling decide whether the pancake is delicious or not. I highly recommend adding Sichuan peppercorn powder, which is widely considered as the best spice for beef in China in the filling to enhance the aroma. In order to make the filling juicy, usually water, stock or other liquid content is added. I use egg this time to increase the viscosity of the beef filling.
About the dough : the dough contents a larger amount of water, compared with other regular dumpling wrapper dough, so you will find it is very easy to knead and wrap because of the softness. There is just a little bit kneading needed in the process.
Steps
To make the filling. Add beef, ginger, scallion, salt, sugar sichuan peppercorn powder and white pepper powder. Blend 10 seconds. Add egg, light soy sauce, sesame oil, shaoxing wine and oyster sauce. Blend for another 10 seconds. Stir the filling by hand for minutes until sticky.
Spread large scallion white on top and then drizzle around 2 tablespoons of hot oil. Mix in chopped white onion. Mix well, cover and set in fridge. For beginners, I recommend set the filling until slightly hardened if you have enough time.
Add salt in all purpose flour and then add hot water firstly. Gently stir the hot water in. And stir in cold water too. Roughly knead to form a dough. No need to be smooth. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
Re-knead the dough, it should be smooth very quickly. Cut into 30g portions (doubled size from dumpling wrappers ) and then roll out to wrapper. Seal it completely. Avoid the edges meeting the filling, otherwise the sealing work is hard to complete.
Place the pancakes in a pan with oil, slightly press the center so the bottom can contact with the pan in better ways.
Heat until the side becomes crispy. Then turn over and fry the other side. Once the two side becomes well browned, slow down the fire and over with lid and let the pancake heat for another 2 minutes. This can further cook the inside part and make sure the inner part is well cooked too. Then remove the lid and heat both side for another 30 seconds separately until the surface turn crispy again.
Transfer to oil paper to remove extra oil and enjoy!! Meat pies are always a little bit salty, so make sure you match it with some light and healthy vegetable soup.
Ingredients
Filling
- 300 g beef , with 15% to 20% fat
- 2 large scallion , finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. Sichuan peppercorn powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 green onions
- 1 thumb ginger , sliced
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- Pinch of fresh ground pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/2 middle size white onion
For the dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (300 g)
- 1/2 cup hot water over 90℃ (120ml)
- 60 ml room temperature water , plus 10ml more for adjusting
- 1 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Beef filling
- Add beef, ginger, scallion, salt, sugar, Sichuan peppercorn powder and white pepper powder. Blend 10 seconds. Add egg, light soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine and oyster sauce. Blend for another 10 seconds. Stir the filling by hand for minutes until sticky.
- Spread large scallion white on top and then drizzle around 2 tablespoons of hot oil. Mix in chopped white onion. Mix well, cover and set in fridge. For beginners, I recommend set the filling until slightly hardened. The filling is for 2 batches, 20 pancakes. However the dough is for 10 pancakes each time. If you want to use all of the filling once, double the dough.
Dough
- Add salt in all purpose flour and then add hot water firstly. Gently stir the hot water in. And stir in cold water too. Roughly knead to form a dough. No need to be smooth. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Re-knead the dough, it should be smooth very quickly. Cut into 50g portions (10 pancakes from this batch) and then roll out to wrapper. Seal it completely. Avoid the edges meeting the filling, otherwise the sealing work is hard to complete.
Frying
- Place the pancakes in a pan with oil, slightly press the center so the bottom can contact with the pan in better ways.
- Heat until the side becomes crispy. Then turn over and fry the other side. Once the two side becomes well browned, slow down the fire and over with lid and let the pancake heat for another 3-5 minutes. This can further cook the inside part and make sure the inner part is well cooked too. Then remove the lid and heat both side for another 30 seconds separately until the surface turn crispy again.
- Transfer to oil paper to remove extra oil and enjoy!! Meat pies are always a little bit salty, so make sure you match it with some light and healthy vegetable soup.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi,
I have a question about adding the water to the beef. It says add in three batches – does this mean I add 3 tablespoons of water total – or 1 tablespoon of water, adding 1/3 of a tablespoon at a time?
Thanks!
Hi Nathan,
We need 3 tablespoon of water in total.
I LOVE reading your posts!
Can you tell us how to make braised eggplant please?!
Thank you, Meghan
Check this eggplant with garlic sauce and Chinese eggplant with minced pork.
Floccule texture makes no sense. Can you please retranslate or demonstrate. I assume chop stickers are chopsticks?
Paul,
Elaine uses the term “floccule texture” to mean that the flour and water mixture will form small clumps. These will smooth out with kneading. I personally find the term amusing and not inaccurate.
Denny
Yup, it’s just more technical sounding than a native speaker of English is accustomed too, but it’s perfectly correct English.
Elaine, I love your recipes! Some friends from Chengdu introduced me to real Sichuan food and now I’m addicted:)
Your dishes are excellent and very authentic. Thanks for your hard work making this website.
Jamie
Thank you Jamie for such a lovely comment.
Did you put lettuce in the meat mix for more water taste?
I did not use lettuce in this recipe.
Hello! Can I sub the beef to pork?
Yes, 100% sure.
Hi Elaine,
Can you please send me the previous recipe that was up here? The one where water is added to the filling?
Thanks!
Catriona,
I don’t have the previous version saved. I am sorry. But believe me, this one is much better.
Love the meat cakes!!! You forgot to say add the oil when making the dough, so my boyfriend had a wildly sticky mess on his hands, but I saved the day ?
ops, hug, hug!
very tasty, my grandma loved these. I will make it again!
Thank you for your lovely feedback!!! Say hi to grandma.
Your recipe looks fabulous. Question, what type of beef do you use?
It should be beef sirloin (needing some fat included).
Hi Elaine
I am wondering if you can give me in grams the amount of flour and hot water? My kids are half Oriental half French and they really love your recipes. Also as I miss great Chinese food so much, living in London and with lockdown truly appreciate your work. Many thanks.
Hi Sue,
I already updated the recipe with the amount of flour and hot water. 2 cups AP flour equals to 300 grams and 1/2 cup equals 120ml. Hppy cooking. Hope your lovely kids love this.