Fried onion flakes. That’s what I think Chinese Toon or Toona Sinensis or Hsiang Chun in Chinese smells like. A little grassy when uncooked but definitely oniony. I had my first Toon three years ago at a vegetarian noodle place in Taiwan. Since then, I have been in love with the plant. For years when I went back to France, I would call home to reminisce about the wonderful meal. It was only recently that I found out Mom has two Toons growing in her garden. I am back in Bangkok for a year now and I just realize the family has been enjoying the plant for years without me knowing. What the…

The last time I went home the housekeeper gave me such a HUGE bunch that my fridge threatens to burst an avalanche of green twigs and leaves. I exaggerate, but one shelf is now hogged by the Toons and everything in the fridge smells like green grassy onion…..including water. So, yes, I need to use them up ASAP. The most common way to cook them is scrambled with eggs but one can only eat so much onion-flavored scrambled eggs. When I asked Mom what else I can do with them, she shook her head. My bad, I guess. My mom does not know how to cook and I am asking her for cooking advice. Funny she’s the one who brought back the Toon saplings from Taiwan. Dad suggests stir-fries and a certain chicken roll that I haven’t gotten around to making, yet.

I decided to make those succulent scallion pancakes except to replace the scallions with Toons. It was my first time to make the pancakes and I made sure I followed the recipe in every minutest detail in the cookbook. Only problem is some cookbooks do not come with warnings….nor do they include les faux-pas. My pancakes came out chewy and tough. That really got me. I was sure the perfect Toon pancakes can’t be that difficult, can it? I consulted a few more cookbooks, the internet and other people who make them on a regular basis…..let’s just say I was so determined to get it right that I even weighed the water used. After a few tries, I got my faux-pas pinned down. For a change, I made mine with a pork and Toon filling. The best Toon parts are the tender young leaves. Save the tougher leaves for making Toon paste (kinda like pesto) or dry them to make tea.

Chinese pancakes are traditionally made with lard but you can substitute with other cooking oil. Although I wouldn’t suggest olive or other pungent oil that would clash with the smell of the Toons. The pancakes are made with what is known as the blanched or boiled flour method in Chinese. The flour is lightly blanched with hot water added in. It’s what makes the dough soft and chewy. They are also traditionally made with medium-gluten or all purpose flour. Some of my mom’s friends prefers mixing low-gluten (cake flour) with all purpose flour. Some mix in potato flour (hard to get that in Thailand). Still others mix whole wheat and other flours. I limited my experiment to just the “traditional” way–using only medium gluten flour–but you can try different flours to get different textures.

Ingredients:
150 grams medium-gluten or all purpose flour
50 grams boiling hot water
50 grams water
50 grams minced Toon
100 grams mined pork
1 teaspoon garlic (optional)
1 tablespoon scallion (optional)
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)
Grapeseed oil, Canola or other cooking oil for frying
Lard (optional)
Salt to season

1. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl. As you pour in the hot water all around the flour with one hand, quickly mix with the other using a fork or chopsticks! Do not attempt to use your hands, yet. Dough is very hot! When thoroughly mixed, slowly pour in the cold water and mix with hands to feel the texture. (At this point the dough should be warm enough for you to use your hands). It will be slightly sticky and that is how it should be, but you should be able to pull it off clean from the bowl and your hands. Set aside in a bowl covered with a wet cloth or saran wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Faux pas 1: Do not pour in all the cold water at once. Most likely you won’t use up the 50 grams. Start with half the amount and slowly mix and check the dough. The dough has to be a little bit sticky. Do not add in more flour or the dough will become tough. Make sure the dough is well kneaded and not lumpy.

2. Mix the minced Toon with the ground pork, scallion, sesame oil and salt together. Heat up the pan and stir fry the garlic. Just as it is about to turn golden yellow, add in the Toon mixture. When cooked set aside.

Faux pas 2: After washing the Toons let dry well before use or the dough will break when rolled up. You can choose to season the pancakes by adding salt directly to the Toon mixture or sprinkle it lightly onto the dough later. Some recipes add the salt right into step 1.

3. Flour very lightly the counter or whatever you will be working on. Roll the dough into a tube and divide into two equal parts. Set one aside. Roll the other into a ball and then roll it again into a rectangle about 12″ by 8″. Brush the dough with lard or other cooking oil on top. Spread out the Toon mixture on top. Start rolling the dough from the longer end. The smaller you start rolling the more layers you will get. As you roll, remember to squeeze out as much air as possible.

When done, roll it up into a coil like the picture. Set aside and work on the other one.

Faux pas 3: Do not overstuff the filling. I guess everyone already know this but I have to remind myself from time to time. When I first made these I brushed lard on both sides of the dough since it was so sticky. (I had added too much water). If you do this, the dough will not stick to each other after being rolled into a coil. It will come loose when fried. In any case, do not be tempted to add extra flour to the slightly sticky dough. I did that and the pancake was very doughy.

4. Take one of the dough and roll it flat but not pancake flat or it will burst. You can only roll it that flat when the filling is not meat based. Heat up the pan and season it well. Turn heat down to medium-low. Pour in one tablespoon of oil and swirl around pan. Put in the pancake. When it starts to turn yellow, flip over. Flip over again when the other side starts to turn yellow. Move the pancake around in a circular motion on the pan so it will cook evenly. What happens next is a series of flipping and swirling. When it starts to get golden brown, fluff the pancake by pushing its sides towards the center. Kinda like fluffing your pillow. Make sure to fluff both sides. The pancake is done when it is golden brown.

Toon paste pancake rolled flat.

Faux-pas 4: Do not use high heat. Low to medium heat is best. Do not push down on the pancake with a spatula. It will result in a very dense and tough pancake. Plus you won’t get those soft chewy layers as seen in the picture top of the page. Must fluff the pancake to achieve a soft texture. When I mentioned this to Sis, she rolled her eyes and exclaimed, “That’s how they make roti!” I guess it’s no biggie for her. But she is right. Now that she mentioned it, Thai roti makers do fluff their rotis as said. Come to think of it, the pancake texture is similar to the roti…

You can also make them vegetarian. Just stir-fry the Toons lightly in sesame oil and season with salt. Alternatively, you can make a Toon pesto (blend Toon leaves with oil and salt) and use it as a filling.

If you are using the tougher leaves for Toon pesto, make sure to remove the stem in the center of the leaves.