Shallot pancakes, northern Chinese style, are made by Xu Bin and his mother Xu Shu Rui, at the Royal Kitchen restaurant, Bexley NSW.

Xu Bin and his mother are from Beijing - the home of wheat flour pancakes with various fillings (including chives, pork and mushroom). It’s the simple shallot version for which Bin and his mother are most renowned. ‘It’s just flour, oil and shallots,’ says Bin, ‘very simple.’ But the pair certainly have a secret touch - it’s all in the way you knead the dough, apparently.

During the Cultural Revolution, times were tough and the family did not have the ingredients to enjoy this specialty. These days in Australia, though, they make 500 pancakes a week with ingredients Xu Shu Rui says are even better than the ones they had back home. The finished pancakes are pan-fried for a few minutes and enjoyed with one of Xu Shu Rui’s special sauces. Not only does ‘everyone in Beijing love shallot pancakes’, everyone in Sydney love them too.

Bin will also cater for parties – bringing mountains of delicious pancakes, sauces and other dishes as required.