My experimental sichuan pork scroll

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER

125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) self-raising flour

125–185 ml (4–6 fl oz/½–¾ cup) boiling water

200 g (7 oz) minced (ground) pork

1–2 teaspoons sichuan peppercorns

½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice

sesame oil

4 spring onions (scallions), chopped

vegetable or peanut oil

chopped spring onion (scallion), extra, to serve

soy sauce and chilli sauce, to serve

Make a hot water dough by combining the flours with a pinch of salt and then gradually add the boiling water to the flour, mixing until a dough forms. Turn out on to a floured bench or work surface and knead for 10 minutes, then set aside to rest.

Season the pork mince with a pinch of salt. Dry-fry the sichuan peppercorns in a small frying pan until they begin to lightly smoke and smell fragrant. Crush the sichuan peppercorns and the Chinese five-spice using a mortar and pestle and mix together.

Pour some sesame oil onto the bench. Roll half of the dough out into a long sausage. Now press it down to flatten it and use a rolling pin to stretch it out, turning it over as you do so and adding more sesame oil to the bench as needed to keep the dough pliant and to prevent it from sticking to the bench. Make a rectangle that is about 50 cm (20 inches) long and 8 cm (3¼ inches) wide.

Using half the pork, place in a line lengthways along the middle of the dough from one end to the other. Sprinkle half the spring onions and half the five-spice mix over the pork. Take one of the long edges of dough and fold it over the meat so that the dough touches the dough on the other side of the meat.

Fold the second long edge of dough up slightly over the overlapping dough and press together to seal. Do this all the way along so that you end up with a long thin sausage. Seal each end closed and tightly roll the sausage into a spiral shape. Lay this flat and then gently bash this disc with the flat of your hand so that it flattens and spreads. Don’t worry if you split the dough a little. The disc should be about 16 cm (6¼ inches) across or so. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Shallow-fry the discs in peanut oil — turning once. If you have flattened it out well it should cook through in 8–10 minutes. Sometimes I finish mine in a 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) oven for 5 minutes just to make sure the pork is cooked through.

Serve topped with chopped spring onions and bowls of soy sauce and chilli sauce on the side for dipping.

I had a beautiful, fragrant fried flat bun stuffed with pork and spices when I was in Beijing. I loved it so much I went to the little shop that made them every day. When I came home I decided to have a go at making them for myself. My version is different but still delicious.