Red Bean Paste Pancakes

Gather the ingredients.

Sift the flour into a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup boiling water to the flour and begin stirring immediately. Knead the warm dough until it is smooth, adding as much of the remaining 1/4 cup of water as is necessary. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Turn the rested dough out onto a floured surface. Cut it in half. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll each half out until it is 1/4-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 3-inch circles of dough.

Brush 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil over the top of 2 dough circles. Lay one on top of each other, so that the oiled sides are together. (Don't worry if one of the edges hangs over the other.) Roll out the dough to form a 6-inch pancake. Repeat this process with the remainder of the 3-inch dough circles. Use a damp towel to cover the prepared pancakes and keep them from drying out while preparing the remainder.

Heat a heavy frying pan over low heat. Add one of the paired pancakes and cook until browned on both sides (about 3 minutes altogether; the second side will cook more quickly than the first side). Remove from the pan and pull the pancakes apart. Continue with the remainder of the pancakes. Cool.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Spread 2 to 3 teaspoons of red bean paste over the white (unbrowned) surface of the pancakes, staying away from the edges. Gently roll the pancake over loosely 2 to 3 times, and flatten to form a flattened roll. (A quick and easy alternative is to fold the pancake in half so that it forms a half-moon shape). Brown the pancakes in the pan, on both sides.

Dust the pancakes with the confectioners' sugar if using. The pancake can either be eaten whole or cut into 3 to 4 slices for serving.