It’s Monday, so I figure I should start out the week in a healthy way. Kind of. This recipe does involve tofu and veggies. But also fried mu shu pancakes. So, I’ll let you decide if you want to call it healthy or not. But it most definitely is delicious. I know I say this every time I use tofu, but even if you’re a carnivore (like I very much am), there are still some amazing things you can do with tofu. While I love a nice juicy steak (and bacon and pork chops and chicken), I actually sometimes crave tofu. Don’t be afraid of it. And after a particularly wonderful food-filled weekend, it might be just what I need on this Monday.
On Saturday, my fabulous friend, Kyle, surprised her husband for his birthday by staging an episode of Chopped in their kitchen. It was, in a word, awesome. She asked Jeff’s foodie friend, Matt, to be a contestant and me, Chris, and Matt’s girlfriend Nora posed as judges. Kyle put together 3 different baskets for the appetizer, entree, and dessert portion of the show and Jeff and Matt had a time limit to whip up their own dishes. I was incredibly impressed with the concoctions they ended up with, especially considering they had never cooked with some of the ingredients, like alligator and calf’s liver! Talk about carnivoring it up, right? Anyway, Kyle’s idea was basically the best ever and she pulled it off without a hitch. I think Jeff was pretty happy with the whole event, though his birthday consisted of him cooking us dinner. Oops 
Oh, and we got it all on video, but it could take quite a while to edit (3 cameras for a total of about 4 hours of footage).
So yes, my weekend was amazing. How was yours?
Chris and I have been ordering lots of our groceries on Peapod occasionally since well, we’ve been busy and a little lazy. And when you first join, you get 60 days of free delivery. So, why not? Except for the fact that they don’t carry everything… like mu shu pancakes. So, instead of schlepping the 5 minute walk to the grocery store, I decided I’d make my own.
Mu Shu Pancakes:
Adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles
• 1 3/4 C unbleached flour
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 C boiling water
• 1 T toasted sesame oil
My first attempt at mu shu pancakes was far from perfect, but they still worked. This recipe is definitely a practice makes perfect recipe and I’ll likely try them again sometime soon to see if my second attempt is better. It’s really no big deal if you want to buy the shells, though I’m sure nothing compares to making them on your own! But it definitely adds a lot of time and some difficulty to this recipe, so just keep that in mind.
Here we go. Using a wooden spoon, mix the flour, salt, and boiling water in a bowl to combine. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 3 minutes, until smooth. Put the dough back in a bowl, cover with a towel, and let it rest for about 30 mins.
Now, shape the dough into an even cylinder about 12 inches long. With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 1-inch pieces.
Lightly flour your palms and use them to flatten the pieces into 2-inch rounds. Brush the top of each round with sesame oil and lay one round on top of another, with the oiled sides together.
Flatten the pair together with your hand. Continue until you have 6 pairs.
On a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll each pair into a thin pancake, about 7 inches in diameter. Keep flipping the dough over and rolling it to make sure the pancake is even.
Stack the pancakes as you flatten them.
Put an un-greased skillet over medium-high heat and cook the pancakes one at a time. You’ll have to watch the pancakes very closely! Heat on one side for about a minute, until it becomes less opaque, starts to bubble slightly, and a few brown spots appear.
Then flip it over and cook for another 30 seconds, until a few more brown spots appear.
And NOW for the really difficult part (I know). Right when the pancake is done cooking, pick it up, look for a seam, and pull apart to separate into two very thin pancakes. This was pretty tough because a) you just spent time rolling the 2 pieces of dough together and frying them, so finding a seam to pull apart wasn’t easy and b) the pancakes are HOT. And hurt your hands as you pull them apart.
I ended up pulling all of them apart, with a few tears (as in rips, not crying tears) here and there.
My pancakes were a little crispier than they should have been (I think), so next time I might try cooking them for a little less time.
Wrap the pancakes in foil to keep warm while you work on the filling.
OK, now you’re done with the tough part! So, um, if you bought your pancakes to begin with, this whole thing should be super easy for you!
Mu Shu Tofu:
Adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles
• 1 (12-ounce package) firm or extra-firm tofu
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1 T toasted sesame oil
• 2 t cornstarch
• 3 t canola oil
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 8 oz. shittake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into strips
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium head napa cabbage, halved and shredded
• 2 C bean sprouts
• 4 green onions, sliced
• Hoisin sauce
• 12 mu shu pancakes
Start by cutting the tofu in half horizontally to make two flat rectangles. Layer it between double layers of paper towels and place on a plate with something heavy over it, like another plate or cans. Let the tofu drain for a little while.
Mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Cut the tofu into strips or cubes and add to the liquid mixture and stir together. Set aside.
Now, heat 2 teaspoons of canola oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. After 2-3 minutes, mushrooms should be softened and you can add the garlic. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add eggs and stir vigorously with wooden spoon until scrambled, about 20 seconds. Add cabbage, bean sprouts, and tofu and saute until cabbage is wilted, but still a bit crunchy, 3-4 minutes. Make sure the tofu is warmed through!
Add the green onions.
Now, get out your beautifully-made pancakes. Eeek.
Smear some hoisin sauce down the middle and put a few spoonfuls of mu shu on the pancake.
You can add more hoisin sauce, too, if you want. Which I do want because I LOVE hoisin.
OK, so I admit this isn’t the prettiest meal ever (or close to it) as the colors are all pretty bland and it’s basically a big mu shu mish mash of ingredients. But taste is what counts, right?
I was a big fan of this dinner as the marinated tofu had tons of flavor packed in and the cabbage and sprouts gave the mixture a lovely crunch. Plus, there was the hoisin. You can wrap your pancake up and eat it like a burrito, too.
Hooray for another fun tofu meal!
Are you a fan of tofu? What’s your favorite way to cook it or dish to add it to?
The rest of my weekend, was spent doing a little baking, doing lots of laundry, and sitting on the couch reading through my collection of wedding magazines:
As a self-proclaimed magazine fiend (I have a legitimate magazine problem), I’m loving that I can now collect wedding mags. Of course, many of them say the same exact thing, but I have gotten some pretty fabulous ideas from them so far, especially from Martha Stewart Weddings! In case you’re wondering, Chris and I are getting pretty close to reaching a decision on where we’ll be having our wedding! Thank goodness, because then I feel like the fun can really start!
Are you a magazine fiend? Do you have a favorite?
[Sues]
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Have you read WellWed yet? It’s an amazing new-ish bridal mag that I just love! The mu-shu-tofu looks great too!
I am a Cooking Light freak. But I do remember collecting lots of weddings mags when planning my wedding. These mo shu look really good; I’d love to make them with pork!
That sounds like the best bday celebration ever! I would be so horrible at Chopped, though. They usually get such random ingredients and have not much time to make something amazing. I would definitely have to hire some professional chefs to make sure it was all edible.
Mushu pancakes = one of my fave dishes growing up! It’s so neat that you actually made the pancakes!
And wedding planning is so exciting! Will you be blogging about the big day?! (hopefully).
Why’d youhave to be healthy today…now my “Lasagna Bowls” post today looks soooo not healthy LOL. Just kidding. Looks great as always guys!
Sounds like such a fun get together! I love Cooking Light, Southern Living, Better H & G, Good Housekeeping, and catalogs (W-S and Sur La Table)
I have never cooked with tofu. weird. these look good! I’m a magazine fiend for the free ones like Impropor and Stuff. I love reading the restaurant reviews and fashion spreads in them
. I so can’t wait to hear where the wedding will be!
PS I saw your tweets about Chopped and was wondering what was up. That sounds like so much fun. Kyle is so creative!!
What a great idea for the birthday celebration! Very creative!
I love Mu Shu, though I have never had it with just tofu…it still looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
I’m actually trying to cut down my magazine subscriptions but the one magazine I’ve subscribed to for so long is Lucky magazine!
Your Mu Shu Tofu looks and sounds nothing short of wonderful.
But I had never contemplated making it at home.
You made it look simple, so I may just give it a shot.
This looks delicious! Mu Shu was always my favorite chinese dish. That Chopped party sounds like so much fun, what a great idea!!
I really like the Real simple wedding magazine. It’s laid out really well with little ads! It’s great!
Mu Shu vegetable is my favorite dish to order in Chinese restaurants – never thought to make it myself! These looks really good!
I think I’ve stopped subscribing to all magazines, but I still get a ton for free for some reason!
i love Chopped! i think i watched a marathon on saturday. It was awesome.
I love love love the mu shu! Looks fab.
Ooh, wedding mags
How I love thee! Haha. My favorite magazine would have to be This Old House… along with Food Network. There’s so many out there.
Doing Chopped at home would be so much fun, especially if your friends are good cooks! It sounds like you had a blast and got to try some interesting foods. I want to try doing that sometime soon!
yummy yummy! and i can’t wait to see where you choose for your wedding!
aw yeah! i love mu shu anything.
these don’t seem so bad
and how awesome is staging your own chopped?? very cool!!!
This looks great! I’m always looking for new recipes that incorporate tofu.
@Emily- You know me, of course I’ll be blogging about the big day!! And many of the days leading up to it, since it probably won’t be until June 2012. I’m just SO excited for us to make a venue decision (we both have problems with indecisiveness/second guessing, which makes it interesting!)
I have never had Tofu!! I know its crazy! Lol. This looks great : )
Wow! That Chopped event sounds like a lot of fun. I get Wine Spectator and Bon Appetit in the mail, but I honestly don’t read them, except in the summer at the beach or on my deck. If it is cold out, I read everything online!
This looks delicious! I am a huge tofu fan, after being a vegetarian for a over a year. Can’t wait to try this!
http://sprinkledwlove.com/
Oh my gosh I’m a magazine ADDICT!!! I love love love them. Fitness ones, cooking ones and fashion ones are my favorite!
Those little pancake wraps look awesome!
I’ve been wanting to make tofu mu shu so much recently, but I’m too lazy to make the pancakes after work, and I always want something meatier on weekends! If I could buy the pancakes, life would be so much easier.
The pancakes look great! Great work! I love magazines, but I hate, hate, hate clutter so I’m always skimming them and tossing them out as soon as they arrive. Huge waste of money! I need to cut back.
I am in the midst of planning a wedding and I totally agree that if you’ve read one wedding mag, you’ve basically read them all!
WOW! this looks fantastic! I also crave tofu at times too!
I definitely have a magazine problem and I enjoyed Wedding magazines for awhile- and then at some point I got really sick of them and now never want to look at one again haha.
Moo Shi is my FAVORITE so I have to try making this at some point.
Wait, did I miss cooking the tofu? Or do you just marinate and put in cold?
@Denise- Yes! Just marinate and put it in cold… I’m going to edit the post to add in that you should make sure it’s warmed through
Thanks!
Chopped was so fun! Sues, you were an awesome celebrity judge
While I certainly had fun buying chef jackets and making banners – I didn’t really consider all the clean up between rounds – yeesh! But we did it! Thank you!!
A wonderful healthy meal, love those mu shu pancakes!
I lovelovelove tofu (even though I’m a big carnivore too) and this blog post had me drooling over my computer! I’m definitely gonna put it in the healthy category – tofu and veggies overrides anything fried (and yummy)
I think it’s a very healthy recipe! And unique as well!
I really love tofu but I’m not very inventive with it. So thanks for this great, and delicious, idea
Great recipe — even with the tofu. It’s not that we don’t like it, it’s just never on my radar, so I’ll have to try harder. I’d love to try this ( and secretly wondering if I could sneak in a flour tortilla haha!).
Magazines? Mostly food, but one literary journal for good measure. Have fun with your planning. My niece is getting married in Juy and guess who’s making the cake???
I heart magazines so much, so I totally understand the ‘engaged + magazine obsession = super obsession’ thing. I have the same ones you have! They are just so much fun to look at!!!
That is SUCH a creative birthday party/event idea. I wish I could have been there! I actually just came home from dinner at a Thai restaurant and I always seem to order my dishes with tofu when given the choice. The method for making these pancakes is interesting and I imagine I may cry from pulling them apart but I’m sure it’s well worth the effort!
wow this is awesome! i loove getting this in chinese restaurants!
Mike and I gave up meat for Lent so I’m trying to get into tofu – the only kind I’ve ever really liked is the sesame tofu that Whole Foods has at their salad bar. I’m making this.
Sounds fantastic! So awesome you made your own mu shu too, they look great
What a fun birthday – must keep something like that in mind! I love this recipe – as I also do get in the mood for tofu, like its consistency and adore a good stir fry. Now the pancakes…. hmmmm – I usually just do buttermilk pancakes and call it a day. Guess that wouldn’t work. Trying to cut down on cluuter (aka magazines). Too many cooking ones.
My favorite way to eat tofu is fried – talking about ruining a healthy food!! Deliciousness makes me happier anyway
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I could definitely take that to work everyday for lunch!!! I love tofu – just simply fried with salt and pepper or marinaded. I have been experimenting more with tempeh!
I do love tofu and this dish sounds delicious!
Sure, it may not be the prettiest dish, but I’m sure it is delicious. Love the homemade pancakes! Good luck with the wedding planning and I hope you get more responsiveness in the future. It is frustrating to not hear back from people.
Very impressed with the Mu Shu pancakes! They look yummy. And Chopped was such a great party theme. I’ve had alligator before but wouldn’t know the first thing about cooking it ( :
I grew up on tofu, in fact we used to make our own. So I have lots of “favorite” ways to use tofu. But my very favorite ways are…
#1 is in the food processor with some curry powder, plain yogurt or mayo, dried dill and a little salt. Blended smooth it makes a great dip. #2 is rough crumbled with homemade taco seasoning. Fry it up in a little oil until it has lost most of it’s moisture and it easily replaces ground beef in tacos or burritos.
#3 is cubed & marinated in soy sauce, minced garlic, fresh ginger root, little liquid smoke, and sesame oil. I start the marinade the night before or first thing that morning and turn it whenever I remember through out the day. (My problem is I tend to “taste test” 1 or 2 every time I turn and there’s usually much less to work with when I’m ready to fry it. :-\ )
I think the greatest thing about tofu is that it’s rather bland so it will take on whatever flavor you choose to give it.
I use firm tofu, never the silken stuff.
This post is very usefull thx!