Northern-Style Cornmeal Flatcakes (Tie Bing Zi)

贴饼子

Northern-Style Cornmeal Flatcakes (Tie Bing Zi) — Northern Chinese SnackTianjin home cooking.

Ingredients

• medium-coarse yellow cornmeal
• boiling water
• cold water
• fine sea salt

Instructions

1. In a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over cornmeal. Stir immediately with a wooden spoon until fully absorbed and thickened. (Thick, glossy paste with no dry specks; steam rises steadily.)
2. Let cool 2 minutes, then stir in cold water and salt. Mix vigorously for 1 minute until smooth and slightly elastic. (Batter coats spoon evenly and leaves thin film when lifted.)
3. Heat a heavy-bottomed cast-iron or carbon-steel wok over medium-high heat until water droplets dance and evaporate instantly. (Surface looks dry and slightly shimmering; no smoke yet.)
4. Reduce heat to medium. Pour 3 tbsp batter per cake along the inner slope of the wok. Tilt wok gently to spread thinly and evenly — do not flatten with spatula. (Batter spreads into 10-cm circles with slightly raised rims.)
5. Cover wok tightly and cook undisturbed for 8 minutes. Uncover: cakes should be golden-brown with crisp, lacy edges. Flip carefully and cook uncovered 2 more minutes until underside is deep golden. (Bottom crust lifts cleanly from wok with audible ‘crackle’; top remains matte, not glossy.)