Dalian huoshao is an old-Beijing pan-fried filled pastry named for its shape — a long, folded packet that resembles a 褡裢, the double-pouched cloth satchel once slung over a belt or shoulder to carry money. A soft dough is rolled thin, spread with a seasoned pork filling loosened with water, folded over into a long strip with the ends left open, and pan-fried in a flat griddle (饼铛) in oil until golden. It is eaten hot, crisp outside and juicy inside, and is usually served with a bowl of egg-drop or wood-ear soup. It is a griddle snack, distinct from the dumpling-shaped 锅贴 and from the plain baked 烧饼.
Dalian huoshao is a Beijing griddle snack whose name comes from its likeness to the 褡裢 — the open-ended cloth money-satchel of old, folded in two with both ends hanging down. The standard telling traces it to the late-Qing Guangxu era, when a couple named Yao Chunxuan (姚春宣), who had come to the capital from Shunyi, set up a griddle stall in the Dong'an Market and later opened a shop, the Ruiminglou (瑞明楼), to sell it; no reliable record fixes the founding year, which survives only as food-trade lore. What is consistent is the shape and the method behind the name: the pastry is folded long like a satchel — when lifted by the middle with chopsticks the two ends droop — rather than crimped shut like a dumpling.
Lifted hot from the griddle, a good one is golden and crisp along the seared faces, the thin skin shattering a little at first bite, then giving way to a soft, juicy pork filling that runs with a little savory broth. The fold leaves the ends slightly open, so the corners are extra-crisp where the dough crackles. Done well, it is taut and light, the skin thin and the filling moist; done badly, the skin is thick and doughy or torn so the juices leak out, or it sat too long and turned greasy and slack rather than crisp.
Two things define it: a slack, well-hydrated filling and a fat-fried griddle skin. The pork is cut and chopped fine, then "beaten" with water added a little at a time so the meat proteins swell and bind the liquid into a loose, juicy paste — that absorbed water becomes the broth inside once it heats. The dough is made soft with warm water so it rolls thin without tearing and stays tender after frying. Cooking on a flat griddle (饼铛) with a film of oil, rather than in deep oil, sears the two folded faces by direct conduction: the surface dries and browns through the Maillard reaction into a crisp golden crust while the inside steams gently in its own moisture, cooking the filling through without drying it. Because the ends are left open, steam escapes there and the corners crisp hardest; too much oil or too long on the heat and the skin turns greasy and soft instead.
Variations
The classic filling is pork loosened with water and scented with ginger and scallion; shops also offer combinations with egg and wood-ear, or with shrimp, and there are beef versions for the Muslim-style trade. The size and the openness of the ends vary, but the long folded satchel shape is constant. It is close kin to other Beijing griddle and filled snacks — the 锅贴 (a pan-fried dumpling, crimped shut and dumpling-shaped) and the various 火烧 and 烧饼 (which are baked or griddled breads, often plain or layered) — and is the one defined by its open-ended satchel fold and juicy beaten filling.
On the Palate
Where Dalian Huoshao sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 35 min active + 25 min waiting
- 120 min
Make a soft dough with flour and warm water; cover and let it rest until relaxed.
- 28 min
Finely chop pork, then beat in ginger, scallion, soy, and water a little at a time until the filling is loose, sticky, and juicy.
Watch outBeat water into the pork a little at a time until the filling is loose, sticky and juicy — that absorbed water becomes the broth inside once it heats.
- 36 min
Divide the dough and roll each piece into a thin rectangular sheet.
- 45 min
Spread the filling along the sheet, then fold it over into a long packet, leaving the two ends open.
- 52 min
Heat a flat griddle or pan with a film of oil over medium heat.
- 68 min
Lay in the packets seam-side down and pan-fry, turning once, until both faces are golden and crisp and the filling is cooked through.
Watch outPan-fry on a film of oil, turning once, until both faces are golden and crisp and the filling is cooked through — direct griddle heat is what browns the skin.
- 71 min
Serve hot, cut if you like, with a bowl of egg-drop or wood-ear soup.
