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Guokui! An absolutely classic snack throughout China, in this video we’ll teach you a classic mala spicy beef version from Sichuan.

0:00 – Wait, I thought Guokui was something else?
2:24 – Making the Dough
4:20 – Making the Yousu
5:15 – Making the Spicy Beef
6:30 – Portioning and Wrapping
10:00 – Frying
11:19 – How to Devour

INGREDIENTS

For the toasted Sichuan peppercorn powder:

* Sichuan peppercorns (花椒), 1 tbsp

For the dough:

* AP flour (中筋面粉), 300g
* Salt, 1/4 tsp
* Instant dry yeast (即发干酵母), 1/8 tsp or 0.3g
* Room temperature water, 30g
* Hot water (70C), 150
* Caiziyou (菜籽油), extra virgin rapeseed oil (菜籽油), 18g

For the Yousu:

* AP flour (中筋面粉), 42g
* Salt, 1/2 tsp
* Five spice powder (五香粉), 1 tsp
* Toasted Sichuan peppercorn powder (花椒粉), 1 tsp
* Caiziyou (菜籽油), or lard (猪油), 42g

For the Beef Filling:

* Minced beef (牛肉末), 90g
* Ginger (姜), 10g
* Spicy chili powder (辣椒面), 1 tbsp
* Huajiao Sichuan peppercorn powder (花椒粉), 4 tsp
* Doubanjiang fermented spicy chili paste (红油豆瓣酱), 5g
* Salt, 1/8 tsp
* Sugar, 1 tsp
* MSG (味精), 1/4 tsp
* Chicken bouillon powder (鸡精), 1/4 tsp
* Light soy sauce (生抽), 2 tsp
* Liaojiu aka Shaoxing wine (料酒), 2 tsp

PROCESS

*For the dough*:

Add in salt on one side, yeast on the other side, add in room temp water aiming at the yeast, form into small flour ball, take it out.

Add in the hot water, aiming at dry bits, then add in caiziyou rapeseed oil.

Start kneading in the bowl, when it’s not hot to the touch, add back in the yeast and flour mixture ball, knead it together for about 5-6 minutes.

Cover the dough with enough oil to coat the surface to prevent drying out. Cover and let it raise/rest for half an hour. Our ambient temperature is 30C, if your room temp is below 23/24C, let it raise for one hour.

Put it in the fridge after the resting time’s up.

When the dough is resting, prep the other ingredients.

—

*For the Sichuan peppercorn powder*:

To a dry wok, toast the 1 tbsp Huajiao Sichuan peppercorn kernels on low flame till you can see oil splotches. Take it out and pound it into a fine powder.

—

*For the Yousu*:

Put the flour in a heat proof bowl, add in all the seasonings, heat oil up to 180C, pour the oil into the flour and quickly mix it well. Be careful, the bowl will be hot.

—

*For the Beef filling*:

Put the minced beef, ginger, spices, and spicy broad bean paste onto the chopping board and mince it together into a paste, about 10 minutes.

When it’s pasty, put in a bowl and add in all the remaining seasoning, mix well.

—

Wrapping:

Take the dough out from the fridge, punch a hole at the center, divide it into 6 even log pieces, about 80-85g.

Keep the logs in the covered bowl, take one out, flatten it with your palm, then start rolling it out in both directions.

When it’s about 50cm (20 inch) long, gently take one end, put it over one end of your rolling pin, lift it up and slap it on the work surface, slap once or twice and repeat on the other end, the finishing strip should be about 1mm thick.

Take 1/6 of the yousu and smear into one thin layer, leave about 10cm on one end.

Take 1/6 of the beef filling, smear it evenly, be careful not to tear the dough, leave same space as yousu.

Take the end with yousu and filling, fold up a 4cm layer over, repeat with each fold about 3-4cm wide.

When reaching the end with no fillings, start rolling it at an angle, tuck the remaining dough over one end of the log, twist the log, and guide the strip to “cover” that end of the log.

Once there’s only ~5cm strip left in hand, twist it like you’re forming a noodle, gently pinch that “noodle-y” string onto the pancake, forming a simple swirl on one end of the log.

Gently press the still opened side of the log into a bowl of untoasted sesame seeds to seal.

Put the wrapped log back into the bag to prevent drying out, let it rest for 10 minutes, work through the remaining dough.

—

*Frying*:

After resting, take out the pancake logs for frying, put on a work surface, sesame side facing up, flatten with palm to a thick disc. Use a rolling pin to roll out a couple times in one direction, twist the disc 90 degree, roll it out a couple times again, repeatedly roll it til it’s ~15cm in diameter.

Use one end of the rolling pin to press along the edge of the pancake to thin out if you want crispy edge.

Heat a dry pan to 130C, place the pancake sesame facing down, roast for 1 minute, flip and roast the other side for the same time. Remember to swirl for even heating.

Add enough oil, about half way up the pancake, turn heat to medium low (oil temp ~120-130C).

Slowly fry the pancake, swirl it from time to time, and flip every minute or so to fry it evenly.

When lightly golden brown, take out and put vertically into a tray lined with paper towel. (Optionally further bake it in an 170C oven for ~3 minutes to expel oil)

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