riacmt@ubvmsc.cc.buffalo.edu (Carol Miller-Tutzauer) (06/01/91)
In article <91150.131635IO00053@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>, IO00053@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (mari robinson) writes... >While we're on the subject of Oriental pancakes, can anyone tell >me how to make Szechuan scallion pancake? It's a lacy-looking Hunan Onion Cake -- From Henry Chung's Hunan Style Chinese Cookbook ---------------- ISBN# 0-517-533251 (Harmony Books, New York) 3 c unsifted all purpose flour 1 c boiling water 1/4 c cold water 6 T sesame oil (or vegetable oil) 2 eggs, beaten salt 1 c finely chopped scallion 4-6 c vegetable oil (for frying) 1. Place flour in a bowl. Add boiling water and mix with a fork or chopsticks till cool. Add cold water and knead the dough on a lightly floured board for 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. 2. Empty dough onto a floured board and knead it again for a few minutes til very smooth and velvety. Roll dough into 16 to 18 balls about the size of a small egg. On a floured board roll each ball into a round pancake 3 inches in diameter. 3. Brush sesame oil on pancake and dush with flour lightly and cover with another one. 4. Place the double round pancake on a lightly floured board and roll out with even pressure to 7 or 8 inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick. (You want them to look like Mexican flour tortillas.) 5. Heat an unoiled wok or a frying pan over medium heat. Bake the tortillas-like pancake; keep on turning it until cake is blistered by air pockets on one side. Turn and bake the other side the same way. 6. Remove pancake from wok and pull the two rounds apart very carefully. Allow them to cool. 7. To make each onion cake, brush the pancake with sesame oil and then the beaten egg, and sprinkle a pinch of salt. Then add one tablespoon of finely chopped scallion evenly on top of one pancake (baked and ready to eat) and cover with another one. Press the two pancakes firmly together to align them securely. 8. Heat vegetable oil in a wok until smoking hot. Slide the cake into the wok. Turn abot every 30 seconds until cake becomes golden brown and crispy. Remove from pan by tongs or chopsticks and hold it over pan vetically to let oil drip off. Cut into small pieces and serve hot. Variation: If you don't have time to make cakes that look like tortillas, just buy Mexican flour tortillas, spread them with sesame oil, egg, and scallion, and proceed as above. Enjoy, Carol