Chinese Scallion (Green Onion) Pancakes With Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce (蔥油餅配姜汁醬油)

Chinese Scallion (Green Onion) Pancake (蔥油餅) is a savory, non-leavened flatbread dough folded with oil and chopped scallions; then, pan fry to golden brown perfection.  It was originated in China, a very popular snack often sold as street food or in restaurants as appetizers.  It’s definitely one of my favorite Chinese savory snacks to enjoy since I was a little kid.   



The Chinese Scallion Pancake is similar to paratha in Indian cuisine or pajeon in the Korean version.  I love savory pancakes, and they are truly comfort food to me.  Back in my college years, I often gather with good friends on the weekends in one of those tiny Chinese cafés specialized in these pancakes along with other popular street foods from Asia.  I would munch on these crispy and flavorful scallion pancakes along with a cup of hot soy milk as breakfast when catching up (a.k.a. gossiping) with my good friends, as we planned out the activities for the rest of our weekends.  Those were the good old memories.



I don’t live closed by to those cafes anymore and many of my good old friends moved away/back home after college.  But the great news is, these pancakes are quite simple to prepare and they store really well.   On the other hand, although I don’t see my good old friends often, we can always keep in touch with emails, phone calls, or with Facebook these days!  That is much more convenience than the time when I was in college, relying on pagers and landlines (ha…that made me sounded like I was from another era!)   



Follow me to the kitchen and I’ll show you how to make these scrumptious pancakes.

1) In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
2) With a wooden spoon, make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the water in a steady stream while continue stirring.
3) Knead the dough a few times and form into a ball.  Cover with a clean towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
4) This would be the good time to chop up those green onions and prepare the dipping sauce. 



5) After 30 minutes of resting, transfer the dough onto a slightly floured board.  Gently press it to form a round disk.
6) With a pastry cutter or a knife, divide the dough into 6 equal portions.
7) With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a thin disk, about 1/8-inch thick.  With the back of a spoon, spread 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around.
8) Sprinkle the chopped scallions on top in an even layer.  Roll up the filled dough from one end to the other into a log, leaving the seam side down.



9) Pinch the end of the log and roll it into a circle.  Pinch the other end of the log and tuck it underneath the dough.
10) Roll the filled dough with a floured rolling pin into 1/4-inch thick disk.
11) I like to divide each pancake with a piece of parchment paper and stack them all up.
12)  In a large non-stick skillet, heat up 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Pan fry the pancakes until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.  Add more oil as needed in the pan frying process.  Transfer cooked pancakes onto a cooling rack and cut into wedges. Enjoy with the soy-ginger dipping sauce.



Remember step #11 from above?  After rolling out all the dough and separate them with a piece of parchment, you can store them in an air tight container or in a freezer safe ziploc bag until you need them, simply defrost them in the fridge overnight before pan frying.  It’ll be wonderful to double the recipe and keep the extras in the freezer for later. 



For the Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce, I simply grated some fresh ginger and stir with the rest of the ingredients.  The picture below shows you the grater that I use.  It’s one of my favorite kitchen tool because it works wonderfully.  Somehow, the tough fibers from the ginger would mysterious disappear after grating with this grater.  You can find similar products here.



To serve these Scallion Pancakes, I like to cut them into wedges, about 6-8 triangles from each cake.  Your kitchen scissors would do a great job with these.  Stack them up and serve.  They would be a wonderful appetizer in parties or afternoon snacks.



Here we go….



Don’t forget the dipping sauce!



The Soy-Ginger Dipping sauce is very earthy and slightly spicy from the ginger.  Yet, a little tangy and sweet at the same time with the rice wine vinegar and sugar.  The complex yet refreshing flavors from the sauce compliment perfectly with these crispy and savory pancakes. 



It’s really impossible to stop eating at just 1, or 10.  And my hubby would agree on that 100%! 

“Sprinkles!” Giveaway Winner Announcement

Thank you everyone who participated in the "Sprinkles!" cookbook giveaway.  And the winner is…..






M.J. who said “My favorite is orange….”

Congratulations, M.J.!  Woohoo….I’ll be sending you an email soon. 

Also, many thanks to Quirk Books for sponsoring this giveaway.  Please stay tuned for more fun recipes and giveaways in the near future.

Meatballs Tomato Soup with Toast Soldiers

My Kids always amaze me with the things they say and the things they do. I always think that I have the wisest Kids. Don’t believe me? This is what happened the other day.....
 

During one of those usual evenings, I was exhausted from running errands and doing chores during the day.  Still in my comfortable, old, and torn pair of jeans, my Kids and I sat down on the sofa to read one of their favorite story books.  My legs were sore so I have them up on a little stool.  My Little Boy (5 1/2 year old) stared at my knee, where the jeans was torn.  He ran his little fingers on my knee with a serious look and said, "Mom, when I grow up and start earning money, I'll buy you a pair of new jeans without holes."  Then my Baby Girl (4 year old) added, "Yes, a purple pair!" (Since purple is my favorite color.)  That was definitely the wisest and most touching thing I've heard from my Kids.  

I know I’m one lucky Mom that my kids love vegetables, most of the time. But, they are also picky eaters. They go through different “picky” phases all the time. They could love certain vegetables all along, but wouldn't even touch them the next week. Sounds familiar to you? You’re in luck! Picky eaters have finally met their match! With the help of The Wisest Kid in the Whole World™, Campbell’s soup is offering delicious recipes that your kids, or any picky eaters, won’t be able to refuse: Click here to check them out. 


 
Through their recipe session, www.campbellskitchen.com, Campbell’s gives you a fresh way to delight your family, such as Mini Chicken Pot Pies, and fun ways to eat tomato soup or chicken noodle soup, etc. I was delighted to see all of the soup varieties featuring kids’ favorite characters like Super Mario and Phineas & Ferb.



I was inspired to jazz up the tomato soup with some Italian meatballs, topped with cheddar cheese, diced avocado (my Kids favorite green food at the moment), and serve with a couple toast soldiers. I let the kids add the toppings on their own and they had so much fun dunking the toasts into the soup.



Don’t be surprised if your kids want to lick the bowl clean and ask for seconds! 

Do you have the wisest kid at home?  You can visit Campbell's site here to share or type at the widget below.  Don’t forget to check out all the wonderful recipes here.

 

Breakfast Veggie Wrap

Did your Mom ever tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?  And yup, Mom is always right.  When I start the day right with a scrumptious and healthy breakfast, I feel energetic and focused, well, at least until lunch time turns around.  I don’t necessarily have all the time and energy to fix something complicated and elaborated in the morning.  Remember, I’m not the morning person type, but more of an night owl!  So, I need a breakfast that I can be prepared quickly to keep myself sane before I get out the door!



My hubby always grab his breakfast on the go, too.  So, these Breakfast Veggie Wraps are perfect to fuel our bodies and souls with wonderful flavors and nutrients.  I love these wraps because they are super quick to put together.  You heard me right, you can get breakfast on the table in as little as 15 minutes!  Want to find out what I put in them and how to make these healthy and yummy wraps? 



For easy “grab and go” application, I used store bought tortilla wraps for this recipe.  I have them around the house quite often because they are very versatile.  You can use flour, corn, or whole grain tortilla wraps, really, whatever you preferred.  Then, I place a layer of scrambled eggs in the middle of the wrap.   While the eggs are still hot, sprinkle a generous amount of shredded Gruyere cheese on the eggs and the heat from the scrambled eggs will slowly melt the cheese.  I love melted cheese, don’t you?  For the grown up’s, I love to add a few dashes of hot sauce on top of the scrambled eggs, too. 



The next layer is the diced vine ripened tomato.  They are sweet and juicy, really add a lovely freshness and texture to the wrap.  I then top it all off with a generous layer of creamy California avocado!  Talk about decadent!  This Breakfast Veggie Wrap is so satisfying that you won’t even miss the meat, at all. 



Roll them up and simply wrap them with foil or parchment paper and you are good to go!  My kids love colorful food  (who doesn’t?), and these veggie wraps are one of their favorites!

Last but not least, I’m submitting this post and recipe to the Wake Up Breakfast with California Avocados Link-Up party hosted by Dine and Dish and Cookin’ Canuck.  I can’t wait to check out what others are cooking! 

Halloween Party Spoons and a Giveaway!

I love Halloween.  It’s one of those festivals that you won’t feel as guilty when you pick up that extra piece of chocolate or candy in between meals, or whenever.  My kids definitely are excited about Halloween and we’re planning early this year.  Not only we've already picked up the costumes, I know, that seldom happen in the past.  And I have prepared these Halloween Party Spoons for you.  Do you host Halloween parties?   These Party Spoons would be perfect little treats for your guests to munch on.  Okay, more like to lick on instead.  You've got the picture.



If you use disposable spoons and wrap them up in individual treat bags (such as these), you can hand them out as party favors as well.  Sweet, right?  These party spoons definitely are sweet.  Besides enjoying them as is, you can serve them with a cup of hot cocoa or coffee and turn your drink into one chocolate-y concoction.  



I’m enjoying this party spoon with my homemade hot chocolate (recipe here).  These Party Spoons are easy and fun to make as well.  You can plan a spoon decorating party for the kids and let them decorate their own.  I haven't met a kid who doesn't like adding sprinkles on things, let alone, we're adding sprinkles on chocolate!  These would be great hits for your party.  My kids definitely enjoyed making their own party spoons!



Where did I get the inspiration? From the book "Sprinkles!"



The original recipe were Party Spoons with dragees or sixlets.  Since I didn't have those in my pantry, I used some Halloween sprinkles instead.  I told you I was ready for Halloween, didn't I?



“Sprinkles!” is a book filled with Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts.  It covers sprinkles vocabulary, decoration ideas, recipes and DIY Sprinkles.  It’s written by Jackie Alpers, an award-winning photographer.  I love that the book is packed with colorful and beautiful pictures, so you know what you’re making and how the end products will look like.  The recipes are simple and easy to follow as well.



Take a look at the picture below, so gorgeous and inspiring. I would love to host a rainbowlicious tea party like this some day.



And of course, I can’t wait to make my own sprinkles and sugary treats.  My eyes are all on this Rock Candy (see picture below).  I love stirring one into my cappuccino all the time.  They will make a wonderful holiday gift as well.



Speaking of holidays, check out these Gingerbread Ornaments!   I can’t wait to make some this holiday season.  And this book, “Spinkle!”, would make a wonderful gift for your foodie friends as well.  You can get your copy here today.  Or, try your luck in winning a copy of “Spinkles!”, courtesy of Quirk Books. 
 



Here are the details on how to enter this giveaway.

One lucky uTry.it reader (with an U.S., Canada or U.K. mailing address) will win a copy of “Sprinkles!”.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and tell me what’s your favorite color from the rainbow (my favorite color is purple).  Deadline to enter is October 6th, 2013 by mid-night PST.  Winner will be selected through Random.org and announce shortly after the giveaway is closed.

For extra entries, do any or all of the following (leave a separate comment for each extra entry):
1)  Add me to your Google+ circle here
2) "Like" uTry.it's Facebook Page, click here.
3) Pin a picture from this post onto your Pinterest board.
4) Share this giveaway on Facebook (with a link back to this post please)
5) Share this giveaway on Twitter (with a link back to this post please)

That’s all and Good Luck everyone!  Have fun sprinkling!








Disclaimer:  I received a copy of “Spinkle!” for the purpose of this review and I was not compensated in any way to write this post.  All comments and opinions are 100% my own.