Dining In - Moo Shu Vegetables with Homemade Chinese Pancakes

Moo Shu Vegetables with Homemade Chinese Pancakes - Chloe's Kitchen

One of my favorite Chinese food dishes turned vegan! Though a time consuming recipe the outcome was worth it. I fully committed to it, making the flour pancakes from scratch as instructed. The combination of marinated, salty vegetables and tofu with the sweet hoisin sauce wrapped up in a warm flour pancake was finger-licking good. My non-vegan boyfriend and I couldn't stop eating them, partially because they weren't overly filling, but I blame that on not waiting between bites and only later realizing we had overdone it with the portions. You can feel so much better about eating these than the greasy Chinese takeout version you might have had previously. I will be making these again. You can find this recipe and others in Chloe's Kitchen (buy your copy here).

Vegetable Filling
14 oz. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
4 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 onion, thinly sliced

8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, trimmed and chopped

Sea salt

2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

7 oz. shredded cabbage (available at Trader Joe's)

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 scallions, trimmed and sliced

Sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Pancakes
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup boiling water
Sesame oil, for cooking


Press tofu on a plate for 20 minutes using paper towels and a heavily weighted object. Afterwards, slice tofu into thin rectangles. 

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons canola oil on medium-high. Add tofu slices, pour soy sauce over the tofu. Let cook for a couple minutes and then flip. Cook until both slides are browned, remove from heat. 

Mushrooms and Onions

In the same skillet add 2 more tablespoons oil and cook mushrooms and onions (see photo) until soft. Season with salt and then add in grated ginger and garlic. Cook for another few minutes. Now add in the cabbage, carrots, and broth with another tablespoon of soy sauce. Stir together and let cook until the liquid dries up. Add in the tofu and scallions, stir again. 

To make the sauce, combine hoisin sauce and soy sauce in a small bowl and stir until combined. Set aside. 

To make the pancakes mix flour and salt together in a large bowl and then add in boiling water. Stir with a wooden spoon and then use your hands to blend. Cover bowl with a towel and let sit for 20 minutes. 

Homemade Chinese Pancakes

Roll out the dough into a log that is about a foot and half (16 in.) cut the log into 1 inch pieces. Flatten and roll out pieces into thin pancakes, about 6 in. in diameter. Brush each side of pancake with sesame oil. Place pancakes on a hot (medium-high heat) griddle or skillet and cook. Watch for bubbling and then check the first side, flip when it begins to brown. Cook on other side then remove from heat and stake on a plate (see photo). Repeat until all the dough is used. I ended up with about 13 pancakes, not 16 but for two people this was more than enough anyways.