Peking mushroom pancakes

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Ingredients

500 g mixed mushrooms (I used shiitake, oyster, king trumpet and shimeiji mushrooms)
1 T Chinese five spice
a large pinch dried chilli flakes
a pinch sea salt
1 T tamari or low-sodium light soya sauce
3 T canola oil
To serve:
16–18 shop-bought wheat-flour pancakes (or use washed little gem lettuce leaves)
5 T hoisin sauce
2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced julienne
1 cucumber, seeded and sliced julienne

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place all the mushrooms on a roasting tray. Sprinkle over the Chinese five spice, chilli flakes and sea salt, and drizzle over the tamari or light soya sauce and canola oil. Roast for 10–12 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place the pancakes in a small bamboo steamer set up over a wok half-filled with water. Steam the pancakes for 8 minutes, then take off the heat and set aside. To serve, transfer the mushrooms to a serving plate, and place the hoisin sauce, spring onions and cucumber in small, individual dishes. Place the steamer basket of pancakes on the table and let everyone help themselves.

Cook's note: Instead of duck, I have used an array of mushrooms. If you are not a fan, you can use smoked tofu, cauliflower or baby marrows, but the mushrooms really do work well – they provide a bold umami flavour and take on the Chinese five-spice brilliantly.

Find more Asian recipes here.

This is an extract from Asian Green by Ching-He Huang. It is published by Kyle Books and is distributed in SA by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Find it at good bookstores for R475.