Guo Chuliu

Guo Chuliu

　　Guo Chuliu is the name of a dish. It's also called Di Chuliu or Lin Zhang Shui Jian Bing. The final word "liu" is pronounced with an erhua (a common Chinese sound change), which sounds nice. Nowadays, when you dine at a hotel and have finished your drinks, the waiter might ask what you’d like for a staple food. When you ask, they’ll reply sweetly: “We have pumpkin noodles, soup noodles, tomato juice noodles, sesame leaf and mung bean noodles, as well as wontons and Guo Chuliu!” Many people love Guo Chuliu—it’s great for your stomach to have a small bowl after drinking.

How to make Guo Chuliu:

Scoop more than half a bowl of flour (adjust according to the number of people), pour it into a mixing bowl, crack in three or four eggs, sprinkle an appropriate amount of salt, pour in some water, and stir with chopsticks. Be sure to mix the batter evenly, breaking up any small lumps, until you get a relatively thin batter. Then add chopped green onions and pour in some sesame oil (use plenty to prevent sticking).

Place a non-stick flat pan on the stove over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, use a serving spoon to scoop about two-thirds of a spoonful of the prepared batter and pour it into the pan. Lift the non-stick pan and gently shake it to spread the batter evenly into a round pancake. When the batter starts to bubble from the heat, use a wooden spatula to lift the edges, then carefully grab both sides with your hands (be careful not to burn yourself) and quickly flip it over—the side facing you should be golden brown. You can also try the chef move you see on TV—holding the non-stick pan and performing a “front roll flip.”