Mu Shu Pancakes

Mix 1 3/4 cups of flour and the salt in a large bowl.

Slowly add the boiling water and stir in one direction with a wooden spoon until the flour absorbs the water and the dough begins to form.

Gather the dough into a ball and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until it is smooth, about 2 minutes.

Form the dough into a 12-inch-long log. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.

Cut the log crosswise into twelve 1-inch pieces. Using your palm, flatten each piece into about 3-inch-diameter rounds, using more flour if the dough is sticky. While working, cover the unused dough with plastic wrap.

Working with 2 pieces of dough at a time, brush the sesame oil over 1 side of each dough round, then stack the dough rounds atop each other with the oiled sides facing each other.

Roll them together into 7-inch rounds. The result is a 2-layer pancake. Repeat until 6 (2-layer) pancakes are made.

Heat a wok over medium heat. Brush the wok lightly with canola oil. Place a double pancake in the wok and cook until it begins to bubble and dark spots form on the bottom, about 1 minute.

The heat must be carefully controlled. If the wok is too hot, the pancakes will burn. Turn the pancake over and cook until a few brown spots appear, about 1 minute. Remove from the wok and separate into 2 pancakes. You will have 2 pancakes, each browned lightly on 1 side and white on the other.

Repeat until all the dough is used and you have 12 pancakes. Before serving, stack all the pancakes and steam them until they are soft and hot, about 5 minutes.

Serve immediately alongside a dish of your choosing.