The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce

When I first read the title of this month’s challenge the first thing that came to my mind was Mulan’s little red dragon.

After reading the challenge I realized we are not cooking little red dragons lol. Simply put, Moo Shu is a stir fry, containing thinly sliced or shredded vegetables, meat (traditionally) and scrambled egg. It is usually served on flat, thin, steamed pancakes, and is accompanied by a complementary sauce.

I have to admit that I was worried about this challenge. First off I wasn’t sure I could find the bamboo shoots called for in the recipe. Then there was the combination of cabbage, scrambled eggs with chicken.

I looked everywhere for the bamboo shoots with no luck and was worried I was going to miss the challenge. I finally decided to do without the bamboo and ended up making this on a day I was really tight on time so I couldn’t roll the pancakes as thinly as I wanted but they really turned out yummy none the less.Actually the whole meal was a yummy surprise.Everyone loved it, even the kids. My husband asked for seconds which is always a good sign lol

My only problem was with the sauce. I used half the soya sauce and sesame oil asked for in the recipe and it still came out too salty and with intense flavors. I played around with it a little,adding more honey and some mayonnaise to tone the flavors down and it worked! I know it no longer was hoisin sauce but it worked beautifully with the moo shu. 

The next day I added  some stir  fried carrots , zucchini and peas to the leftovers. I loved the color and texture the variety of vegtables added to the dish. I think I will be making this again but with the added vegetables, fresh mushrooms instead of dried and my adapted sauce.

Thank you Shelley and Ruth for a wonderful challenge. I know I wouldn’t have tried this if it wasn’t for you 🙂

Thin Pancakes:

Makes 12- 15 pancakes
Preparation time: about 10 minutes plus 30 minutes’ standing time
Cooking time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups (480 ml) 280 gm)  all purpose flour
About 3/4 cup (150 ml)  boiling water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegetable oil
Dry flour for dusting

Directions:

1. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Gently pour in the water, stirring as you pour, then stir in the oil. Knead the mixture into a soft but firm dough. If your dough is dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, to reach the right consistency.(I added about 1/4 cup more water) Cover with a damp towel and let stand for about 30 minutes.
2. Lightly dust the surface of a worktop with dry flour. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until smooth, then divide into 3 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a long sausage and cut each sausage into 8-10 pieces. Keep the dough that you are not actively working with covered with a lightly damp dish cloth to keep it from drying out.
3. Roll each piece into a ball, then, using the palm of your hand, press each piece into a flat pancake. Dust the worktop with more dry flour. Flatten each pancake into a 6 to 8 inch (15 cm to 20 cm) circle with a rolling pin, rolling gently on both sides.
4. Place an un-greased frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat to low and place the pancakes, one at a time, in the pan. Remove when little light-brown spots appear on the underside. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.

Moo Shu Chicken:

Serves 4
Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
Cooking time: 6-8 minutes

Ingredients
2/3 cup (1 oz) (30 gm) Dried mushrooms

2 chicken thighs or breasts without the skin and bones
¾ cup (3½ oz) (100 gm) bamboo shoots, thinly cut (I didn’t use it)
3 cups (6 oz) (170 gm) cabbage
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
4 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil
2 Scallions
1 tablespoon (15 ml) light soy sauce
2 teaspoons (10 ml) rice vinegar
A few drops sesame oil
Thin pancakes to serve

• In a pinch, you can use pre-chopped cabbage, usually sold as a cole slaw blend, as the basis of your Moo Shu.

Hoisin Sauce:

  Ingredients
4 tablespoons (60 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut butter OR black bean paste
1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey OR molasses
2 teaspoons (10 ml) white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) garlic powder
2 teaspoons (10 ml) sesame seed oil
20 drops (¼ teaspoon) Chinese style hot sauce (optional, depending on how hot you want your hoisin sauce)
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) black pepper

Directions:
Simply mix all of the ingredients together by hand using a sturdy spoon.
At first it does not appear like it will mix, but keep at it just a bit longer and your sauce will come together

My adapted sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut butter OR black bean paste

2 tablespoon (30 ml) honey OR molasses

2 teaspoons (10 ml) white vinegar

1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) garlic powder

1 teaspoons (5 ml) sesame seed oil

1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) black pepper

2 tablespoons mayonnaise