How to Make Scallion Pancakes

Making scallion pancakes can be quite straightforward when you get two excellent chefs in the kitchen. I had my dad and our family friend, Uncle Kuo, help me out. So I got to just sit back and watch the magic....

The ingredients needed are simple: flour, water, scallions, oil, and salt.

To get started, mix 3 cups flour with 1 cup hot water. Once that's mixed, add in 1/3 cup cold water and mix until even. Knead on a lightly floured surface until you have a nice, smooth ball o' dough. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. You can chop the scallions into about 1/8" pieces while you wait. Next, take the dough and form a log about 2-3 inches in diameter. Cut the log into 6-8 equal pieces. Take one piece of the dough, rounding and then flattening it on a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is about 1/16" thick. Don't worry if it's not especially round. Then put about 1 tsp of oil on top, spreading it evenly all over the surface. Sprinkle a layer of salt on top and then a layer of chopped scallions. Now, the next part is a bit tricky if you've never seen it done before. Roll up the pancake, with the scallion side on the inside.

Once you've rolled up the pancake, take one end of the roll and wrap it around the other, so it makes a circle, similar to a cinnamon roll. Tuck the end under so it doesn't unravel. Repeat the process until you have all your scallion pancakes done. Then put a piece of saran wrap over them and let it rest for about 30 minutes. This is so the oil can absorb into the dough more.

After you've let the pancakes sit, it's time to roll them out. Take one of the rolls and flatten it out with your palm first. Then, making sure to keep it round, roll out each pancake roll until it's about 1/8" thick. Put about a tablespoon of oil in a flat bottomed frying pan on medium high heat and pan fry until the sides are crispy and golden. Take out and cut into wedges.

This dish is delicious served on its own with a nice soup. It can also be used like a tortilla. In Taiwan, they put roast beef slices inside, roll it up, and slice it for a hearty lunch. It can also be added to a sautee of nappa cabbage with pork or beef strips. Cut the wedges thin for this. All in all, it was one of my favorite after school snacks growing up and I'm thankful for the chance to see it made again!

Food, Glorious Food

As a class, we've been reading "Fast Food Nation," by Eric Schlosser. This expose of the fast food industry has fueled many exciting discussions about the huge impact and implications fast food has had on our own personal lives, our society, and the world.

The last few blogs of this quarter will all center around the role of food in our lives. Blog 6 covers our own thoughts on the place of food in our lives. Be it an excuse for gathering or a vehicle of culture/history or simply something to "refuel" ourselves, everybody eats and you'll see our musings on our own personal relationships with food.

Our last blog of the quarter, Blog 7, will be a collective protest against the fast foods of the world. We will be posting recipes for slow foods, foods made from scratch by human hands and eaten and enjoyed at the table together, that are significant to our families or cultures. Although sometimes it feels that the pressures of time, the overwhelming presence of McDonaldization everywhere as well as economics all cage us in and make us helpless, we can do something. As Malcolm Gladwell points out again and again in his book "The Tipping Point," little things can make a big difference. So we eat in solidarity as our protest. Join us.