Flakey Scallion Pancakes

I continue my quest for a terrific Green Onion Pancake recipe, a favorite menu item at Chinese restaurants but one that still eludes me at home. I've tried recipe after recipe, but continually miss the mark of the ideal crunchy yet flakey Scallion Pancake. It shouldn't be all that difficult; it's just a pancake, right? Flour and water, plus oil and chopped green onions. Hah! Just a pancake, not! 

My first Korean Green Onion Pancake attempt was far too omelette-like.

This next try was an Asian Style Flatbread (Pancake); tasty but not flakey and much too bread-like. 

Then I slid into shrimp and cabbage pancakes (okonomiyaki) link and link, an entirely different pseudo-omelette/pancake-like adventure. Take a minute to skim Pinterest and you'll find all manner of Green Onion Pancakes; thick ones, fluffy ones, flat ones, stuffed or flat ones, coiled pancakes or rolled... Who knew there were that many Scallion Pancake variations? Decisions, decisions, what to try next?!

A Kenjii Lopez-Alt "Food Lab" treatise encouraged me to try his hot-water, twice-rolled dough method. What made this technique so different?
 * Adding hot-water to the flour to retard gluten development and limit the airy bounce and chewiness of the finished pancake.
 * Rolling and coiling the dough twice to create multiple layers of dough separated by sesame oil. Think laminated dough, like puff pastry (only much easier).

The basics are simple: 
Place 1 cup flour in the bowl of a food processor and slowly add up to 1/2 cup boiling water until the dough just comes together. Knead briefly on a floured surface; cover and set aside for an hour. Then the fun begins.   

Divide dough into two balls; roll until smooth. Roll out one ball of dough into a very thin circle; brush lightly with sesame oil

Roll up tightly into a log

Coil the log into a tight snail; roll out again

Sprinkle with a scattering of chopped green onions

Roll up into a log; coil into a snail; roll flat again

Repeat with remaining dough

Place in hot oil in a cast iron skillet; cook until brown (about 2 minutes)

Turn and cook side two until brown (another 2 minutes)

Slice into wedges and serve warm.

Yum! The Scallion Pancakes of my dreams are still a work in progress, but this first batch was a big step in the right direction. 

You'll find the detailed recipe and directions at Kenjii's post here; check it out. Take a few minutes and read the backstory here, whether you decide to make the pancakes or not. The science of baking is intriguing.

Thai-Style Chicken Soup

Chicken soup comforts both body and soul. So it is no surprise that many cultures around the world have their own version; unique with the varying preparations, ingredients and seasonings to account for the world of difference. In my kitchen you'll often find one of these chicken soup recipes simmering away on the stove:

Avgolemono - Greek Lemon Soup

Green Posole with Chicken

Coconut Green Curry Soup

plus an Indian-style Chicken Coconut Curry Soup, and our all-time favorite Mexican Chicken Taco Soup (I can't believe I haven't posted a recipe for this one yet). This month's interest in ginger nudged me toward a Thai-style version of chicken soup with coconut milk. This chicken soup was fast, flavorful and carried enough of a "zip" from the Tom Yum  sauce to keep RL smiling. 

My fridge and freezer usually hold a few containers of cooked chicken, left after roasting a whole bird, pulled from a purchased deli chicken or after I precook a batch of chicken thighs. Chicken soups and chicken enchiladas benefit from this versatile ready-to-use ingredient. 

What's your favorite use of already cooked chicken?  

Thai-Style Chicken Soup

yields 4 servings

2 fat cloves garlic, peeled & minced
2-inch piece ginger root, peeled & minced or shredded
2 TBS canola oil
1 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp Tom Yum sauce or a Thai curry paste (adjust for your level of spicy heat)
1 TBS Thai fish sauce 
1 TBS Gourmet Garden Thai seasoning paste (or 1 tsp each dried cilantro & basil)
1 small onion, peeled & chopped
1 cup red pepper, cored & chopped
1 fat carrot, peeled & sliced thin into rounds
2 ribs celery, strings discarded and stalks chopped
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 can (15-oz) low-sodium chicken broth 
1 can (15-oz) coconut milk (NOT coconut cream!)
2 to 3 heads baby bok choy, cleaned & chopped
salt and pepper to taste
lime wedges for serving

Use a wide-bladed knife or bench scraper to mash the garlic and ginger together into a paste. Heat the canola oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot and saute the ginger-garlic mash for a minute or two until aromatic. 

Stir in the brown sugar, Tom Yum sauce, fish sauce and Thai seasoning paste.

Add the chopped onions, red pepper, carrot & celery. Stir to coat and saute for another minute. Add the chicken and stir some more to coat.

Add the chicken broth and coconut milk and bring to a barely bubbling simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Add the baby bok choy and cook for a minute or two until just tender. Ladle into bowls and enjoy at once.

Notes: 
1. Offer lime or lemon wedges to add a citrus pop to each bowl.
2. For hungry appetites, offer a small bowl of rice alongside. The solids are always finished first and the remaining soup liquid works well as a sauce for the rice.   

Lemon Ginger Shrimp in Parchment Paper

US wild jumbo shrimp frolicked in my dreams last night. Oh yes, not only in costume but performing silly dances and unbelievable acrobatic feats. Better than a nightmare, this exhibition just might have been inspired by a package of Gulf shrimp that should have been last night's dinner. But the cook was lazy, reheated some spicy soup, and went to bed quite early. Hmmm, maybe I should blame the evening's entertainment on that spicy soup. Today those frisky crustaceans shared the spotlight with some Asian flavors and starred in Shrimp en Papillote... aka Lemon Ginger Shrimp in Parchment Paper.

Local groceries and big box stores offer frozen shrimp sourced from a variety of countries, but I know very little about these other fisheries. Lacking specific knowledge of or confidence in foreign catch and processing methods, I choose US wild seafood, especially Pacific Northwest products, whenever possible. Lucky for me, Seattle holds several quality fish markets with impeccable fresh and frozen seafood. I have previously used this simple method with fish fillets, but admittedly not often. Surprising, since the results were so popular.   

Fish Fillets en Papillote

Sturgeon in Parchment

Why not cook shrimp en papillote? Somehow other favorite shrimp and prawn dishes tend to muscle parchment pouchs out of the limelight.

Cajun BBQ Prawns,

Greek Shrimp Taverna, 

Lime and Sweet Chili Prawns,

Piccata Prawns & Pasta, 

Shrimp & Grits  

No more understudy role for shrimp in parchment; this dish is ready for star billing.    

Shrimp en Papillote

for 2 servings

1/2 cup Napa cabbage, julienned (or substitute baby bok choy)

1/2 cup cooked rice

1/4 cup green or white onion, sliced thin

1/4 cup carrots, julienned

2" fresh ginger, peeled & cut into 8 coins

10-12 wild jumbo shrimp (size 16-20/lb), shelled & cleaned

salt and white pepper

1/2 lemon, sliced into thin rounds

2 TBS mirin

2 TBS sesame oil

1 TBS ponzu sauce (or use lemon or lime juice plus soy sauce)

2 pieces of parchment paper, roughly 15"x24"

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Set out a baking sheet, ready to transfer the parchment packets to the oven. Fold each parchment sheet in half (now 15x12) and cut a large, fat heart shape.

Spread half of the cabbage shreds on one open sheet of heart-shaped parchment close to the fold line. Spread it out, but leave an inch or two bare along the cut outside edge. Top with half of the rice, onion, carrots and coins of ginger. Add half of the shrimp on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and arrange half of the lemon rounds over the shrimp. Sprinkle with half of the mirin, sesame oil and ponzu sauce. (Short version: layer half of the ingredients on the paper and sprinkle half of the liquids evenly over the top.)

Fold the other half of the heart over the top, lining up the edges. Begin with the top of the heart (the fat part) at the fold; fold over a short section, pleat and pinch together, press down to seal and repeat the fold/pleat/pinch/press as you work around the edge to the bottom point. Twist the final section to seal and tuck under the pouch to secure it. 

Repeat with the remaining ingredients to create a second packet.

Move the packets onto a baking sheet and place in the center of the preheated oven. Reduce the oven temp to 400 F and bake for 15 minutes (only 10-12 minutes for smaller shrimp). The packets should puff slightly as they cook. (I suggest opening one packet a few minutes early to check for doneness - you don't ever want to overcook shrimp!) 

To serve, transfer each packet to a dinner plate; use kitchen shears to cut an X on top to fold open. The aroma is tantalizing. Serve with lemon slices and/or Sweet Thai Chile Sauce to drizzle over the packet contents if you like. (I prefer mine plain.) 

Soba Noodle Salad with Chicken and Vegetables

Buckwheat soba noodles plus chicken and assorted vegetables equals a whole-meal salad with an abundance of tastes and textures. Yum!

A new medication has radically changed my tastebuds, making cooking and meal planning a whole new adventure. Citrus bites, too harshly acidic. Shrimp tastes metallic and no longer pleases. My favorite chile peppers and sriracha sauce now burn my mouth. Even coffee seems too bitter to enjoy. Aaaargh! So I'm playing with different spices, fearlessly swapping out ingredients in recipes old and new, and occasionally have to resort to a bowl of cereal for dinner when the new approach does not work. RL  hasn't complained yet, so the process continues. What a perfect time to work my way through my new Patricia Wells cookbook, Salad as a Meal: fresh ingredients, healthy eating, and an opportunity to tailor a new recipe to my taste.

I skimmed the chapters, glanced at the index and found many tempting choices. Buckwheat soba noodles and chicken sounded interesting, so I began with my own version of Wells' "Chicken and Soba Noodles with Ginger-Peanut Sauce". Swapping peanut sauce for peanut butter and adding 3 cups of chopped raw vegetables were the major changes. Cilantro has now joined parsley on my new list of Not-So-Good herbs, so I will omit it in the future.

 Visually interesting, this colorful Asian noodle dish rated two thumbs up today at lunch. The sauce pleasantly surprised my tastebuds with layers of flavor; sweet, sour, salty, faintly bitter and perhaps even a hint of umami (savory/meaty) as well. Smooth buckwheat noodles contrasted nicely with the assorted vegetables and peanuts for crunchy, toothsome bites, and it all came together quickly with ingredients already on hand. Win! It might even be healthy, but today it was all about the taste.

Half a package of noodles filled two bowls at lunch with enough left for another meal, or to use as filling for Asian pancakes or Thai spring rolls.

Slivered chicken, cilantro, onion, red pepper, cucumber, and cabbage are ready to go.  

4-minute noodles plus vegetables and an Asian sauce 

One lunch noodle bowl and a platter of leftovers to enjoy a another meal.

Soba Noodle Salad with Chicken & Vegetables

Adapted from Salad as a Meal by Patricia Wells

yields about 4 servings

Sauce:

6 Tbs tamari or other Japanese soy sauce

2 Tbs sesame oil

1 Tbs sweet Thai peanut sauce (optional)

4 Tbs seasoned Japanese rice vinegar

1 Tbs grated fresh ginger (or Gourmet Gardens ginger in a tube)

1 Tbs Gourmet Gardens lemongrass (optional)

2 cloves garlic, peeled & pressed or minced

1+ Tbs mirin (optional)

1 Tbs lime juice, more if needed as a finish

6-oz soba noodles (about ½ a package for me)

1 cup shredded cooked chicken (about 4 small thighs)

3 fat scallions, green and white parts, sliced thin

2-3 cups sliced raw vegetables of your choice (cabbage, carrots, cucumber, peppers, etc.)

2 Tbs toasted sesame seeds, white or black

handful of salted peanuts, chopped

handful of fresh cilantro leaves 

1. Whisk together the sauce ingredients; taste and adjust as needed (RL added lime juice to his bowl). Place in a large, shallow bowl and set aside.
2. Add the soba noodles to a large pot of salted, boiling water; stir to prevent noodles from sticking. Cook according to the package directions until tender, about 4 minutes – keep an eye on the pot and adjust heat to avoid foaming and boiling over! Drain in a colander, then rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear. Rinsing is important, keeping the noodles from sticking and clumping. Drain thoroughly.
3. Add the drained noodles to the bowl containing the sauce. Toss to coat evenly and thoroughly. Add the chicken, scallions and sliced raw vegetables; toss to mix and distribute the sauce.
4. Garnish with the sesame seeds, peanuts and cilantro. 

Notes: 

1. Any leftovers will incorporate well into an Asian pancake/omelet or make a great filling for rice paper spring rolls.

2. Serve with lime wedges for an added pop of flavor.

Update: June 9, 2016
Spring rolls are the way to go with leftovers. The Asian omelet was edible, but nothing to get excited about.

Awesome Asian Turkey Sliders

...with a side of Sesame Rainbow Slaw

Not too excited about ground turkey? Get over it - the taste of these delicious Asian sliders might be reason enough to fill the freezer with this healthy protein. Healthy? Turkey contains vitamins B-6 and B-12, niacin, choline, selenium and zinc. That is good to know, but our attention was on the palate-pleasing flavor when these cuties hit the tastebuds. Lime, sugar, fish sauce, basil and garlic meld nicely with the turkey into a delicious Asian bite, one that easily handled the heat from any added sriracha and jalapenos. The generous handful of apple matchsticks provided a welcome crunch to the otherwise soft sandwich.   

Every bit of kitchen island and sink countertop showed signs of action during dinner prep. The dozen plus slider ingredients, and even more for the slaw, called for a lot of chopping, mixing and tossing. Still, dinner came together surprisingly quickly as each major component was prepped and set aside.

   *slice and marinate the apples

   *mix the basil mayonnaise

   *season and form the meat patties or meatballs

   *slice, chop and mix the slaw vegetables

   *whisk the slaw dressing, add to the slaw veggies and toss

Chef de Cuisine Hilary adapted this delicious dish from two recipes she found in the Nov. and Dec. 2015 issues of Shape magazine. Colorful, imaginative and fully loaded with sweet/hot/citrusy/tangy flavors, her turkey sliders were a fiesta on the plate and in the mouth. We politely nibbled the first bites of apple-topped sliders-with-slaw:  bite... pause... register the taste... smile! Mmmmm, yes, we each inhaled the rest of our first slider in another bite or two and hurried back to the stove for more. 

We are eager for another Asian slider dinner, soon please (especially if Hilary cooks).These sliders would make a festive party appetizer as well, with a large batch cooked and held in an electric skillet or on a warming tray. Anyone for a party?

Asian Turkey Sliders

serves 4

Juice and zest of 1 lime

2 teaspoons sugar

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 crisp apple, cored & cut into matchsticks

1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (Best Foods)

2 Tablespoons Gourmet Garden basil paste concentrate, divided

1 pound ground turkey

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1/2 cup water

Sweet Hawaiian rolls, (or mini slider buns) split

Hot sauce, (Sriracha, etc) to taste

*Sesame Rainbow Slaw (recipe below)

Directions:

1. Use a medium bowl to mix lime juice, sugar and 2 teaspoons fish sauce. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add apple machsticks; toss to coat and set aside.

2. Use a small bowl to blend together the mayonnaise and 1 Tablespoon of the basil paste; set aside.

3. In a large bowl mix together by hand ground turkey, garlic, remaining 1 Tablespoon fish sauce, remaining 1 Tablespoon basil paste and lime zest. Shape into 8-12 meatballs or fat patties slightly wider than the slider buns..

4. Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown meatballs over medium heat until browned on all sides, about 10 min.

5. Drain the apple mixture; add the liquid to the skillet with the meatballs. Add water; bring to a boil and scrape up any browned bits from the skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until cooked through and liquid reduces into a clingy glaze, about 8 min.

6. Spread basil mayonnaise on buns, top with apples and glazed meatballs. Serve with a side of Rainbow Sesame Slaw and offer optional hot sauce and jalapeno slices on the side.

Rainbow Sesame Slaw

2 cups packaged broccoli slaw

2 cups red cabbage, cut in 1/4-inch strips

3 large red, orange & yellow bell peppers, cut in 1/4-inch strips

4 scallions, diagonally sliced

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup peanuts, chopped or minced

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

2 Tablespoons sliced pickled ginger, minced (optional)

3 Tablespoons sesame oil

1 Tablespoon low-sodium Tamari

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon chile paste (more or less to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Use a large bowl and toss together the solids, broccoli slaw through ginger (if using). 

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.

Add the dressing to the mixed slaw; toss gently to combine. If making ahead, toss occasionally to recoat the slaw and redistribute the dressing.