Every region of China has a flatbread that proves what a hot pan can do to dough and a savory filling, and the mei cai pork pancake (梅干菜肉饼) is one of the great ones. The filling is the star: pork mince cooked with preserved mei cai — the dark, umami-packed dried mustard green that also stars in mei cai kou rou — seasoned with ginger, thirteen-spice, and pepper. Wrapped in a yeasted dough, rolled thin, and pan-fried until blistered, it is crisp outside, savory inside, and utterly addictive.
This xiachufang recipe makes a dozen pancakes from 500 g of flour, so it is built for the freezer. The dough rises once, divides into twelve pieces, and each one is wrapped around the cooked filling, rolled flat, and rested again. They cook in a hot electric griddle or skillet until both sides are golden with dark blistered spots — the sign of a properly cooked flatbread.
What Are Mei Cai Pork Pancakes (梅干菜肉饼)?
Mei cai pork pancakes are yeasted flatbreads stuffed with a filling of minced pork and preserved mei cai (梅干菜), rolled thin, and pan-fried until crisp and blistered. They are a beloved street and home snack across China — the dough is soft and chewy, the filling savory and deeply umami from the preserved greens.
The dough is a simple yeasted bread dough: flour, water, sugar, yeast, and salt, kneaded until smooth and risen until doubled. The filling is cooked before wrapping — pork mince fried with ginger and spices, then combined with the softened mei cai so its flavor penetrates everything. Each pancake is rolled thin, rested, and fried in a little oil until golden.
If you love the deep flavor of preserved greens with pork, my mei cai kou rou is the classic braise that shares this pancake’s soul.
1Minced Pork With Peas (豌豆粒肉沫): Saucy Over RiceSweet green peas braised with minced pork, garlic, and chili in a glossy soy and oyster sauce, made for steamed rice.Check out this recipe
Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking the filling first develops its flavor. The pork is fried with ginger, thirteen-spice, and pepper until fragrant before the mei cai joins — no raw filling here.
- Mei cai brings deep umami. Preserved mustard greens add a salty, savory, slightly sweet depth that plain pork cannot match.
- A yeasted dough makes a soft, chewy pancake. The risen dough fries up tender inside with a crisp, blistered outside.
- Rolling thin is the trick. Thin pancakes cook through quickly and develop those beautiful golden blisters.
- A dozen freeze beautifully. The recipe makes twelve, so cook once and keep the freezer stocked.
Equipment Needed
- Bread machine or stand mixer (optional) for the dough
- Electric griddle or large skillet
- Rolling pin
- Baking sheet for the shaped pancakes
Ingredients
- 500 g (4 cups) all-purpose flour (中筋面粉)
- 10 g (2.5 tsp) sugar
- 5 g (1.5 tsp) instant yeast
- 2 g (1/2 tsp) salt
- 270 g (1.1 cups) warm water (about 35°C / 95°F)
- 150 g (5.5 oz) pork mince
- A little ginger, minced
- Thirteen-spice powder (十三香), to taste
- Ground pepper, to taste
- Sesame oil, to taste
- Prepared mei cai (梅干菜), softened and cooked
- Oil, for frying
Ingredient Notes
Mei cai (梅干菜). Preserved mustard greens — dark, salty, and deeply savory. They are sold dried; soak and cook them before using. The recipe pairs them with the pork after browning.
Pork mince. About 150 g, fried with ginger, thirteen-spice, pepper, and sesame oil until it changes color before the mei cai is added.
The dough. 500 g of all-purpose flour makes twelve pancakes. The recipe mixes it in a bread machine with warm water, sugar, yeast, and salt, and lets it rise until doubled.
Prep & Mise en Place
Soften and cook the mei cai ahead of time. Mix the dough with the warm water, sugar, yeast, and salt, and knead until smooth; let it rise until doubled. Cook the pork filling: fry the mince with oil, ginger, thirteen-spice, and pepper until it changes color, then stir in the prepared mei cai. Have a floured surface and a rolling pin ready when the dough has risen.
Cooking Process
Step 1 — Mix and Rise the Dough
Combine the flour, warm water (about 35°C / 95°F), sugar, yeast, and salt in a bread machine or bowl and knead into a smooth dough. Let it ferment until doubled in size.
Step 2 — Cook the Pork and Mei Cai Filling
Heat oil and fry the pork mince with ginger, thirteen-spice, and pepper until it changes color, then add the softened cooked mei cai and stir through.
Step 3 — Divide, Wrap, and Roll
Dust the surface with flour, divide the risen dough into 12 pieces, and wrap each piece around a portion of the filling. Roll each gently and evenly, then let them rest 15 minutes.
Step 4 — Shape Into Long or Round Pancakes
Shape three of them into the classic long ovals and the rest into rounds, ready for the pan or the freezer.
Step 5 — Pan-Fry Until Golden on Both Sides
Heat a little oil in an electric griddle or skillet and cook the pancakes until both sides are golden with dark blistered spots.
The blistered spots are the signature of a properly fried flatbread. As the dough hits the hot, lightly oiled pan, trapped steam from the moist filling pushes up through the thin crust and browns in patches — pale pancakes mean the pan was not hot enough, while dark, even blisters mean the heat and the dough are working together.
Step 6 — Serve the Whole Batch
Stack the finished pancakes and serve warm — crisp outside, savory and soft inside.
Common Mistakes When Making Mei Cai Pork Pancakes
1. The pancakes are raw in the middle. Cause: rolling too thick or frying too hot. Fix: roll thin and cook over medium heat so the center cooks through before the outside burns.
2. The filling leaks out. Cause: overfilling or weak seals. Fix: use a modest portion and pinch the dough shut firmly before rolling.
3. The dough tears when rolling. Cause: no rest after shaping. Fix: let the wrapped pieces rest 15 minutes so the gluten relaxes.
4. The filling is bland. Cause: not cooking the mei cai properly. Fix: soften and cook the preserved greens first so their umami releases.
5. They stick to the pan. Cause: too little oil or a cold pan. Fix: use a little oil and heat the griddle well before the first pancake.
Variations
Round or long. Shape them either way — the cook makes both so the freezer has variety.
Extra-crisp. Brush the rolled pancakes with a little oil before frying for a shatteringly crisp shell, like my scallion pancakes.
Pocket style. Serve the pancakes split and stuffed, the rou jia mo way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these without a bread machine? Yes — knead by hand for 10 to 12 minutes until smooth.
What is mei cai? Preserved mustard greens, dried and deeply savory. Soak and cook before using; it is the same green in mei cai kou rou.
Can I freeze the pancakes? Yes — freeze the shaped, uncooked pancakes and fry straight from frozen, adding a minute or two.
How do I reheat them? Pan-fry or toast until hot and crisp — the microwave makes them soft.
What goes with them? They are a meal on their own, or a great side with soup or peas with minced pork. For more doughy snacks, try air-fryer meat pies or guokui.
How to Serve
Serve the pancakes warm as a snack, breakfast, or light meal, alongside rou jia mo and air-fryer meat pies for a handheld feast, or with scallion pancakes and youtiao for a full doughy spread.
Storage & Reheat
Store cooked pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days, or freeze uncooked shaped pancakes for up to 2 months. Reheat cooked pancakes in a dry pan or toaster until hot and crisp.
Allergen Notice
Contains wheat (flour) and pork. Mei cai is preserved mustard greens; check for any added allergens on commercial packs.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
About the Author & Recipe Development
I am Lin, and I grew up in my parents’ restaurant kitchen in Chengdu, where my mother made a version of these mei cai pancakes whenever the kitchen had leftover dough and a jar of preserved greens. This xiachufang recipe is that habit written down properly. I tested it twice: the first batch I rolled the pancakes too thick and the centers stayed doughy; the second time, rolling thin and resting the wrapped pieces, they came out crisp and blistered exactly as they should. The freezer-friendly dozen makes them my default answer to “what’s for a quick lunch?”
Authoritative References
USDA Safe Temperature Chart for cooking ground pork safely, and King Arthur Baking on yeast dough for rising guidance.
Mei Cai Pork Pancakes (梅干菜肉饼): Crisp, Savory Flatbreads
Equipment
- Bread machine or mixer
- Electric griddle or skillet
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour 500 g
- 2.5 tsp sugar 10 g
- 1.5 tsp instant yeast 5 g
- 0.5 tsp salt 2 g
- 1.1 cups warm water, about 35°C 270 g
For the Filling
- 5.5 oz pork mince 150 g
- 1 piece ginger, minced
- 1 pinch thirteen-spice powder
- 1 pinch ground pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 batch prepared mei cai (梅干菜), softened and cooked
- 2 tbsp oil, for frying
Instructions
- Mix the flour, warm water, sugar, yeast, and salt into a smooth dough and rise until doubled.
- Fry the pork with ginger, thirteen-spice, and pepper until it changes color, then stir in the cooked mei cai.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces, wrap each around the filling, roll gently, and rest 15 minutes.
- Shape some into long ovals and the rest into rounds, ready for the pan or freezer.
- Pan-fry in a little oil until both sides are golden with blistered spots.
- Stack and serve warm.
Leave a Reply