The mu shu madness all started recently while I was dining at P.F. Changs. Near our table, I spotted a waiter filling pancakes to serve to a table. Instantly, I knew I needed to attempt to recreate the dish at home.
Making the Mu Shu Chicken was very easy, and the result was yummy. I highly recommend giving it a shot, and serving it with good quality flour tortillas, such as La Tortilla Factory found at Tom Thumb, or going mad and making your own pancakes.
Making the Mu Shu or Mandarin Pancakes was a huge project, that was tedious, fun, and well worth the effort. A friend of mine described her experience of making gnocci, as a "labor of love", I would describe this as the same.
Mu Shu is always served with hoisin sauce which can be tricky to find kosher. I found some at the Christmas Tree Store, the brand is Joyce Chen, it's very tasty.
We also had Ginger Salad, Steamed Brown Rice, and Asian Asparagus. Our dinner was A-MAZ-ING!
Here is the Mu Shu Recipe and Pics:
Mu Shu Pancakes
makes 20 pancakes
3 C. all purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1 C. boiling water
1/4 C. cold water
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. sesame oil
Place the flour and the salt in a large bowl, and mix with a fork.
Slowly add the boiling water, stirring slowly as you add it in.
Add the 1/4 C. cold water slowly, and then use your hands to form a stiff dough.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
Place the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 45 minutes. (You can make the Chicken filling during this time.)
After 45 minutes, divide the dough in 4 equal portions.
Take one portion and roll into a 1 1/2 inch wide log. Cut this log into 5 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Flatten the ball with your palm. Use a rolling pin and roll until 3 inches in diameter. Repeat with all of the pieces. You should have 20, 3 inch circles.
In a small bowl mix together the two oils.
Take half of the circles and brush with a pastry brush lightly with the oil. Place another circle ontop. You will have 2 circles ontop of eachother, sandwiched with oil. You will have 10 stacks.
Use the rolling pin and roll the stacks of twos together until they are 8 inches in diameter.
Seperate each stack with a paper towel or parchment.
Take a large frying pan, and the pan with 1 tsp. of oil and then use a paper towel to wipe the entire inside, there should be a tiny bit left on the pan.
Heat the pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add a stack and cook about 30 seconds, just until light brown specks start to form on the bottom. Flip the stack over and cook 30 more seconds on the other side, also until the light brown bubble show.
Remove to a plate, let cool a few seconds, and peel apart the stack, you will now have 2 mu shu pancakes. Repeat with the rest of the stacks.
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Mu Shu Chicken
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into very thin pieces
1 8 oz. carton mushrooms, I used baby bellas, cut into matchsticks (julienned)
2 green onion, green part only, chopped
1 (14 oz.) bag, coleslaw cabbage mix, with white cabbage, carrots, and purple cabbage
1/4 t. garlic salt
2 T. vegetable oil
Chicken Marinade:
1/2 t. sugar
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. sherry, I used kosher cooking sherry
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 T. sesame oil
Sauce:
1 T. soy sauce
1/2 T. sherry
1 t. sugar
To marinate the chicken: Place the cut up chicken in a large ziploc baggy. Add the sugar, and mix thoroughly. Add each ingredient one by one in the order listed above, mixing thoroughly in between each time. Squeeze out the excess air, seal, and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Mix together the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a large skillet or wok on high and add 1 T. of the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and stir fry for 5-10 minutes until the chicken is slightly browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate.
In the same pan add the other 1 T. oil, and heat on high. Add the mushrooms and the green onions. Cook for a minute or two until the mushrooms give off a little of their liquid. Turn down the heat if they start to burn.
Add the coleslaw mix and stir with the mushrooms until mixed. Add the garlic salt.
Stir fry until the cabbage is soft, about 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, and add the sauce. Stir everything together.
To assemble, take a teaspoonful of hoisin sauce and spread in the center of the pancake. Next, add a generous scoop of the mu shu chicken, and fold up the sides, and then the bottom.
Enjoy!
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