Pilgrim's sesame flatbreads (shāobǐng)
Small, flaky wheat flatbreads, golden and covered with sesame, baked until crisp. They keep for days without going stale: the traveler's bread, simple and nourishing.
Small, flaky wheat flatbreads, golden and covered with sesame, baked until crisp. They keep for days without going stale: the traveler's bread, simple and nourishing.
On the road to the West, toward the holy lands, we don't eat our fill every day, I can tell you! My master Sānzàng prayed, and I kept watch—and in our bags, these sesame flatbreads that last for weeks without molding. You brown them on the hot stone until they sing under your teeth. When demons lurk and you can't light a fire, a flatbread in your pocket, and old Monkey leaps back over the mountains!
- •Wheat flour — as needed (flatbread base)
- •Water — just enough (dough)
- •Sesame seeds — a good handful (fragrant crust)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
- •Vegetable oil — a drizzle (flakiness)
Pilgrim's sesame flatbreads (shāobǐng)
Small, flaky wheat flatbreads, golden and covered with sesame, baked until crisp. They keep for days without going stale: the traveler's bread, simple and nourishing.
Why this dish? On the Silk Road to India, the caravan of the monk Xuanzang had to carry provisions that would keep. These dry, crisp, durable wheat flatbreads are the ideal walking food—the ones old Monkey slipped into his bag between fights with demons.
On the road to the West, toward the holy lands, we don't eat our fill every day, I can tell you! My master Sānzàng prayed, and I kept watch—and in our bags, these sesame flatbreads that last for weeks without molding. You brown them on the hot stone until they sing under your teeth. When demons lurk and you can't light a fire, a flatbread in your pocket, and old Monkey leaps back over the mountains!
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — as needed (flatbread base)
- Water — just enough (dough)
- Sesame seeds — a good handful (fragrant crust)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
- Vegetable oil — a drizzle (flakiness)
Ingredients
- Wheat flour — 250 g (base)
- Warm water — 150 ml (hydration)
- Baker's yeast — 1/2 tsp (lightness (optional))
- Sesame seeds — 3 tbsp (signature crust)
- Salt — 1 tsp (flavor)
- Neutral oil — 2 tbsp (internal flakiness)
Method
- Mix flour, salt, yeast and warm water to form a soft dough. Knead for 8 minutes, cover and let rest for 1 hour.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle, brush with oil, fold into thirds (for flakiness) then divide into small balls.
- Flatten each ball into a disc, wet the top with water and press into sesame seeds.
- Cook on a dry hot pan/griddle, sesame side first, 3-4 minutes per side, until golden and crisp (or finish for 8 min in an oven at 200°C).
- Let cool: they keep for several days in a cloth.
How it was made : The shāobǐng, a wheat sesame flatbread, is attested since the Han dynasty, arriving via the Silk Road with sesame and tandoor oven techniques from Central Asia. Dry, these flatbreads were the marching ration of caravaners, soldiers and pilgrims—exactly the kind of provision an expedition like Xuanzang's would carry.
The contemporary twist : Split the warm flatbread and stuff it with the stir-fried vegetables from the previous recipe: a pilgrim's sandwich, ready for the road (or the lunchbox).
Sun Wukong · Charactorium
