Fennel and mincemeat pancakes

Look at these meat-filled pancakes, they're so tempting! Each one is round, golden, and has beautiful burnt lines. Just looking at them makes you hungry. They taste even better. The leavened dough crust is soft and chewy, and the meat filling inside is generously stuffed, with chopped green fennel, which looks fresh. Take a bite, and the meat filling is so tender and juicy, and the fragrance of fennel hits your nose, and the saltiness is just right. When it's fresh out of the pan, the aroma can waft halfway around the block. Eat one while it's hot. The crust is slightly crispy, the inside is soft, and the meat filling is juicy. It's so delicious that you can't stop eating it. It's perfect for breakfast or as a daily snack!

Ingredients

Steps

Mix the meat filling (optional) You can also make it according to your favorite meat filling
Prepare the spice water: Take appropriate amount of ginger, cut into strips, cut green onions into sections, and wash the peppercorns. Put them all into a container, add 150 grams of boiling water, soak until the aroma is released, and let it cool for later use.
Prepare the ingredients: Wash the fennel, drain and chop.
Prepare the basic meat filling: Add salt, chicken stock, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce and pepper to the minced pork and mix well.
Add the cooled ginger and scallion water to the basic meat filling in three batches, stirring vigorously in the same direction until the meat filling is firm and smooth.
Add starch: Add 15g corn starch to the meat filling and stir well.
Mix in the fennel: Add the chopped fennel to the ground meat and continue stirring until the meat is firm enough to hold a chopstick.
Add 30g of sesame oil to the filling and mix well. This will help lock in the moisture. Because the filling is high in water, refrigerate it for 2 hours to facilitate subsequent wrapping.
No noodles
Place flour, water, and salt in a bowl and mix well. Once the dough forms a clumping mass (use chopsticks, not your hands, as they will stick), add another tablespoon of oil and continue stirring until the dough is smooth. Let it rest for 2 hours.
Wear gloves, spray a little oil on your hands, grab the dough from the edge of the pot to the middle, do not grab it directly from the middle.
Divide the dough into several equal parts. This recipe can be divided into 9 raw dough balls.
Stuffing: Pull the dough in your hands, as it stretches well and won't break. Stretch the dough thinly, place the filling in the middle, and close the top like a bun. Pinch it tightly and place it with the top facing down.
dough version
Put the flour, water, salt and yeast needed for the bread into a bowl, stir well and knead into a rough dough, add a spoonful of peanut oil, continue kneading until it is 80% smooth, cover with plastic wrap, and ferment at 28 degrees until it is 1.5-2 times larger.
Spray a little oil on the work surface and gloves, take out the fermented dough, and divide it into 5 balls. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough thinly, add the filling, and close the top like a bun, with the top facing down. Then, make it a little thinner and let it rest for 20-30 minutes to let it ferment again.
pancakes
Prepare a pot with a lid and pour plenty of cooking oil into it. Place the pancake in the pot (you can also put it in directly after wrapping it) and fry it with the seam facing down for about 1 minute per side. Once the pancake is slightly set, flip it over. Do not wait until the pancake is hard, otherwise it will dry out.
Prepare a pot with a lid and pour a generous amount of cooking oil into the pot. Transfer the pancake to the pot (you can also add it directly after wrapping it). Turn the heat down to medium-low and fry for about 2-3 minutes per side. Add water in small increments (about 2 tablespoons each time). Turn the heat down to medium before adding water. Afterward, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. The entire process takes about 8-10 minutes. It's important to be patient and avoid using high heat, as this can easily burn the pancake. Always stay on the stove while cooking. To determine if the pancake is done, observe whether the center of the pancake is puffed up. If so, it's done.
Unleavened pancakes: For those who prefer a chewy, firm texture, a crispy crust, and a pure wheat aroma, unleavened pancakes may be more to their liking. This includes those who enjoy the texture of traditional pancakes and the pleasure of chewing.
For those who prefer a soft, fluffy texture and a bread-like texture with a fermented aroma, leavened bread is a better choice. The elderly and children, who have a relatively weaker chewing ability, generally prefer leavened bread.