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Scallion pancake is one of my favorite food. There are so many versions in Taiwan with the most popular one from Yilan (a county in north Taiwan) which evidently is also known for scallions. San Sing (三星) scallions precisely. I often wonder what the difference between Taiwanese-style (台式蔥油餅) and Chinese-style pancakes are. I’ve asked around but never got a really satisfactory answer. Mostly they tell me is in the chew and texture. The Chinese version is a denser chew while the Taiwanese version has a softer satisfactory chew. Unfortunately for the two times that I visited China I never got to taste any scallion pancakes so I can’t make any comparison. But I did notice that the dough in older recipes are made with just medium-gluten (all-purpose) flour and water. While in later Taiwanese recipes oil and/or other flour are added to give the dough a softer chew or Q. (Q is the Taiwanese word for chewy and is a texture that is highly appreciated.)
Apart from the chew I am also told Chinese-style scallion pancakes are sold by weight or slices while the Taiwanese version is smaller and sold by the piece. Which reminds me of shops that sell Sandong (a province in northern China) style pancakes like the popular 天母山東蔥油餅 (此燈亮有餅). There is also another popular shop in Taipei, 秦家餅店, made by an elderly grandma (always a good sign) whose pancakes are made with the cold water method and no oil is added to batter. On top of that they are pan-fried without oil. Unfortunately, I never made it there the gazillion times I was in Taipei. Lightning should strike me.
Besides the different flour used, scallion pancakes can be made using the blanched dough or the aforementioned cold water dough method. The former requires partly mixing the flour with hot water and the later is made entirely with cold water. Both are supposed to produce different Q’s. But what gets me the most is the addition of baking powder and yeast. Seriously, why? Anything with baking powder or yeast shouldn’t be in the Chinese pancake classification. For all I care they should be in the “risen dough” 發麵 group.
Oh, and before I forget, they can be pan-fried with or without the lid on. The later is more common.
I’ve never had scallion pancakes made the cold water way nor with the addition of non-wheat flour. Not knowingly anyway. So I thought, hey, I did the fish sauce tasting, why not scallion pancakes, too. Yea. Why not. It’d be more fun to eat, too.
So I spend the past three days making them. Yes. Three days because I learned from this CL that the pancakes taste a lot better if the dough is allowed to rest in the fridge for 24 hours. Which is true. After 24 hours the dough was so silky and smooth. And they did taste better. But I also left another batch for up to 48 hours not because I was trying to be some food scientist but I needed to take care of non-pancake stuff, too. At first I was afraid the dough would turn acidic – not a desirable trait in Chinese pancakes – but the amazing thing was the dough turned incredibly softer and more pliable. I didn’t even need to use a rolling pin. I could just stretch and shape everything with my palms. This is how I am going to make my scallion pancakes from now on.
Before I get to the tasting I’m going to share a few things I pick up along the way:
1. From this Taiwanese blogger I now make my pancakes with scallion oil and scallion oil paste. A big thanks to 妃娟. I also used her recipe for pancakes made with tapioca and all-purpose flour. I do have a similar recipe in one of my cookbooks but it includes baking powder. Yea. So so so wrong.
2. After mixing the flour with the water I find the dough will be easier to knead if given a 20 minutes rest first.
3. Patience patience patience is the secret to frying perfect pancakes. I have taken to pan-frying with the lid. I find it traps in the moisture and creates a crispier layer. They need to be done slowly on medium-low heat with frequent flipping. Plus for a klutz like me, it’s also harder to burn the pancakes.
4. 48 hours is my standard for resting the dough now. It really produces such a silky smooth and soft dough. Except for the cold water method. A long rest makes it dense and doughy.
5. The thinner the dough is rolled, the crispier. I tried rolling it so thin that when fried it was crisp like chips!
6. Over using the scallion oil paste will make the pancakes very greasy. Naturally.
7. I prefer small pancakes over larger ones as they ar easier to fry in a home stove and pan. The perfect dough weight for me is between 100-120 grams. Any larger I find it clumsy to work with. But it really depends on the person.
How the tasting is done (how do professionals do this??????):
1. All are made from the same brand of all-purpose flour (Kite brand).
2. Scallion oil and salt are added directly to the batter.
3. Each dough weighs 120 grams and is brushed with 3/4 tablespoon scallion oil paste.
4. Each is tasted after a 24 hour and 48 hour rest.
To begin:
1. Make the scallion oil first. Reserve 1/2 cup for mixing with the batter.
妃娟 does not give the exact proportion for making scallion oil and the paste. I made an estimate of 2 cups oil to 1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced scallions. Use good lard if possible if not any neutral oil like grapeseed is fine. But lard will result in a crispier pancake. Pan fry the oil and scallion on low heat just until the scallions turn soft but not yellow. Strain and set the scallions aside.
Make sure the scallions are patted dry before using. I actually left mine to air-dry for a few hours.
2. Make the scallion oil paste. Mix the remaining scallion oil with enough all-purpose flour until a mayo consistency is obtained. This part is optional as not everyone in the family likes it. Too much makes it greasy but the right amount gives the pancake more pronounced layers and a bit flakier.
3. After mixing the flour and dough, let rest 20 minutes before kneading.
4. After kneading, let rest another 20 minutes before putting in fridge.
5. After 24 hours, shape dough and let rest yet another 20 minutes. Roll flat and pan-fry slowly. For me the pancakes are best at 0.3-0.4 cm.
For a more detailed description on how to shape the dough read my Chinese Toon pancake post.
6. After 48 hours, do the same as above.
7. Pan-fry each pancake on medium-low heat. Start with one side and just as it turns yellow, flip over to another side. When it turns yellow, flip over again and cover with lide. Let fry for 1-2 minutes then flip over. Cover for 1-2 minutes then flip. Repeat the process 3-4 times or until pancake is done.
8. Like a good croissant, these are best when fresh hot out of the pan. If left to cool, they tend to become tough.
Cold water method – All purpose flour
I adapted this recipe from a famous Taiwanese baker/chef. She has written a wonderful book on Chinese buns, dumplings, pancakes….unfortunately, it’s available only in Chinese. This is the only dough that does not and should not have an overnight rest. In fact, the chef warns against resting the dough in room temperature for more than an hour. I didn’t listen and ended up with a dense and doughy pancake after 24 hours. After 48 hours the pancake still has a soft chew but almost doughy like Chinese buns. Done right the pancake has a medium chew. Less soft than Taiwanese-style pancakes but still crispy.
300 grams All-purpose flour
220 grams Cold water (room temperature)
1 tablespoon Scallion oil
3/4 tablespoon Scallion paste
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1. Mix all the ingredients together and let rest 1 hour in room temperature. Covered with saran wrap, of course.
2. After one hour, lightly oiled the working surface. Weigh out 120 grams of the dough and gently stretch it as thin as possible. Brush with 3/4 tablespoon scallion paste then sprinkle with scallion all over. Roll into tube then coil. Let rest 30 minutes before frying.
Note: This pancakes tastes the closest to those made the traditional way. It has more chew and is the least soft of the four. It’s not as dense as the traditional pancakes probably because of the added oil. This is the kind my dad would love – not too soft not too dense.
Blanched dough method – All purpose flour
I adapted this recipe from CL. In fact I also used her recipe with the potato flour. I picked this recipe because it uses a higher proportion of hot water than I normally do. My guess was it would give the pancake a softer chew and it did. Plus she also sifted the flour first which makes it less dense than recipes made the old way.
300 grams All-purpose flour
150 grams Hot water
50 grams Cold water
1 tablespoon Scallion oil
3/4 tablespoon Scallion paste
1 teaspoon Salt
1. Sift the flour into a bowl. Add in the salt. Pour the hot water all around the flour and mix thoroughly. Add in cold water. Mix. Add in scallion oil. Mix well. Let rest 20 minutes before kneading. Let rest another 20 minutes before putting in fridge.
2. After 48 hours: Remove dough and roll into a log. Divide and weigh into 120 gram pieces. At this point the dough is soft enough to spread out with palms. Or if preferred use a rolling pin. Brush with scallion paste and sprinkle with scallions. Roll into log and squeeze out as much as possible rolling. Roll into a coil. Let rest 30 minutes. Flatten into 0.4 cm pieces then pan-fry.
Note: I have to admit I have a hard time distinguishing the texture between this one and the one above. They are so similar with only a slight degree of chewy difference. Naturally this one is a bit softer but they have the same medium dense texture.
Blanched dough method – All purpose and potato flour
Recipe adapted from CL. The recipe calls for using either all-purpose or bread flour. I used all-purpose.
75 grams Potato flour
60 grams Room temperature water
150 grams Hot water
300 grams All-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Scallion oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon room temperature water
1. Mix potato flour with 60 gram room temperature water. Mix well then add in 150 grams hot water. Mix well and leave to cool slightly. Add in all-purpose flour, scallion oil, salt and the 1 tablespoon water. Mix well again and let rest 20 minutes.
2. Knead dough lightly until dough doesn’t stick to hands and is slightly stretchy. Let rest 20 minutes before putting in fridge.
3. After 48 hours: Shape and pan-fry as described above.
Note: After putting in fridge for 48 hours every dough type is very soft and pliable with the hand except for this one. It is silkier than before putting into fridge but definitely less stretchable than the others.
The texture is slightly dense but has a soft bouncy chew. Not sure if that is a good description but when compared with the two above it is sort of springy. But when compared with the tapioca pancake, the potato pancake is a bit chewier. It is definitely softer than the traditional pancake and less dense.
Blanched dough method – All purpose and tapioca flour
I adapted this recipe from here. 妃娟 adds an extra 15-20 grams cold water which I omitted since the dough was already so watery and sticky.
20 grams Tapioca flour
30 grams Room temperature water
200 grams All-purpose flour
4 grams salt
112 grams Hot water
10 grams scallion oil
1. Mix tapioca flour with 30 gram room temp water. Add in all-purpose flour and salt. Mix well. Add in hot water and mix well again. Let cool before kneading with hand. Knead until dough doesn’t stick to hand and is slightly stretchy.
If the dough is still too sticky to knead, let rest 20 minutes.
2. After kneading, let dough rest another 20 minutes before putting in fridge.
3. 48 hours after: shape and roll dough as above.
Note: Of the four this one has the softest chew which is a surprise for me as I had thought the potato flour would be the softest. Again, this is not as dense as the traditional pancake. People who prefer soft cookies would like this. Including children.
I personally can’t decide which I like best. I like the texture of the one made with tapioca best but I have this unjustified prejudice against tapioca. Don’t know why. I tend to avoid using it whenever I can. Maybe because it’s such a “cheater’s” flour that I just don’t like it. I like the idea of using potato flour which is funny because I only like potatoes when they are fried. Robuchon’s famous mashed potato didn’t do it for me either. Sorry chef. They are good only when fried. Or when made into a kind of dumpling (肉圓) popular in Taichung, Taiwan. Or maybe I am a traditionalist at heart. If I have to make them for myself I’d choose either the cold water or hot water method with just all-purpose flour. And pine for the kind of texture made with tapioca or potato flour. But I guess people’s taste change and evolve over time. Maybe over time I’ll learn to get rid of my prejudice against tapioca. Maybe.
This is another long post in coming. Twelve days to be precise. It took that long simply because, well, the recipe took that long. Right after I wrote previously about my fear of fermenting raw meat, I went ahead and made some. Heh. My mom had given me a bag of red yeast rice or ang chao in Taiwanese and I figured might as well now or never.
I love love love the smell and taste of ang chao. I don’t know how to describe it but it imparts a toasty fermented taste. In Taiwan it’s usually made with pork belly or chicken but this time I am using duck breast.
At first I was afraid the end result would be tough and dry but somehow all that fermenting made the breast tender and moist. It takes time to make this dish but I find it much better than any store-bought-ready-made-red-yeast-rice paste. Some recipes add in ginger and sugar but I like them without.
Ingredients:
The ratio given by my Ahma (Taiwanese for grandma), who is an amazing cook, is 2 cups ang chao : 5 cups of uncooked sticky rice : 1 bottle of rice wine. I used half the amount. I also prefer using Taiwanese rice wine (especially Hsiao Sing) or Japanese sake simply because they taste so much better. Actually the better rice wine used, the more fragrant and more tasty it will be. The main precaution is to make sure the rice/sake’s alcohol’s content is not too high or the yeast would be killed.
1 cup ang chao
1/2 bottle of Taiwanese rice wine or about 350 ml
2 1/2 cup uncooked sticky rice
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 duck breast
Potato starch
1. Lightly crush the ang chao and soak it with the rice wine in a clean glass jar. Leave in room temperature for a day.
2. Cook the sticky rice and let cool until lukewarm to the touch. The trick here is to make sure the rice is less than 30°C. The slight warmth of the rice would help with the fermentation. Higher than that the yeast would be killed and a different kind of nasty fermenting would happen.
Mix #1 with the sticky rice thoroughly. Place in a large bowl or jar (big enough to put the duck breast in later) and make a hole in the center. This is so as the rice ferments, the gas can escape easier. (Not sure how true this is but MANY housewives use this technique.) Cover with saran wrap and poke a few holes. Leave in room temperature for 4 days. If the weather is incredibly hot like in Bangkok, it will take only 4 days. By then, the rice will be making a a soft pop pop pop sound like soft drinks frizzling. If the weather is cold, will take a week or more.
Oh, on the second or third day, it’s a good idea to stir and mix everything around evenly. Make hole and cover.
3. Clean and pat dry the duck breast. Mix #2 and the salt thoroughly. Put in duck breast. Make sure the breast is well submerged in the red rice paste. This time put it in the fridge for 7-10 days. Any longer the meat will start to taste bitter. I read that somewhere.
4. Remove duck and scrap away the bits and pieces of red rice paste. Coat with potato starch and fry in low-medium heat until golden and crispy. When my Ahma makes this with pork belly, she usually steams it and slices it thin to be eaten with thin shreds of ginger. I also like to serve it with sliced cucumbers or daikon on the side.
What to do with leftover rice paste? It can be used a few more times if more salt is added. I’m not sure how many more times. I’ve just put in the second batch. of meat Let’s see how long I can stretch it………….
Oh, the paste can also be used in stir-fry’s. Will write about that soon. Less than 12 days, I promise.
Update May 15, 2009:
I just made the BIGGEST boo-boo! Found out from my mom earlier that I was supposed to blanch the duck breast before soaking it in the rice paste! Oh, well. But I have to admit I quite like my version. 
New Year is literally just around the corner and what better way to celebrate the countdown than with chili. Sweet ones, of course, for a successful sweet year. I found these bright green chili in the fresh Japanese food aisle a few days ago. I wasn’t sure if it was amanagato or not. The salesperson was of no help. When asked, she replied, “It’s Japanese sweet chili!” That’s right. Not amanagato. Not arigato. Definitely not natto. But it’s Japanese sweet chili! With an exclamation, please.
Their long slender shape (except for the curly one in the picture) actually reminds me of Guindillas. The first time I had Guindillas was in Spain, naturally, in a Chinese restaurant. Nope, not a tapas bar. That would be Pimentos di Padron. Back then we made frequent trips to Spain and on one trip we were with Hubby’s colleagues who after many tapas meals and late late dinners demanded rice. We settled for a Chinese restaurant near the hotel. I was sure the food was going to be horrible. I was wrong. It was not bad at all. My favorite for the meal is pickled Guindillas stir-fried with pork. Call it fusion, necessity, confusion or whatever but it is the one dish that I think of now when people mention Guindillas. I knew I had to bring some back to Paris. I did. Only to find out later that Monoprix carries it, too.
Did I mention before the powers that be like to mess around with my life?
Back to the amanagato Japanese sweet chili!
At first I was just going to cook them pimentos di padron style – on a hot plancha (only it would be a flat-bottomed pan) with olive oil, charred lightly and sprinkled with sea salt. In the end, I figured I could chinesify it like the stir-fried guindillas. I added in fermented black beans – nothing better to cut through that sweetness than with the earthy and salty taste of fermented black beans.
Now that I have tried this, I am going to make some with anchovies next time. Or I might pickle some with Szechwan peppers……………
Ingredients:
100 grams Japanese sweet chili! or amanagato
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon soaked fermented black beans
Sea salt to taste
1. Put a pan on high heat. Wait for the pan to become very hot. Add in the sesame oil, swirl and coat the pan well. Put in the chili, toss and stir them until lightly charred. This should take only a few seconds.
2. Add in the garlic and fermented black beans. Stir and toss them together quickly.
3. Remove, sprinkle with sea salt and serve.
When I was in Taiwan this past summer, my aunt invited me to her house for Oyster Vermicelli — a common street food, especially in night markets. It is made with a kind of reddish-brown super thin rice vermicelli or mee su-ah in Taiwanese. The best are hand-pulled several meters long and dried in the sun. The ones destined for making Oyster Vermicelli are steamed after being sun-dried and then dried again. Somehow this process gives it the distinctive reddish brown color as well as a slightly toasted flavor.
I have always thought it was such a complicated dish especially since it’s often made with stock that has been boiled down for many hours. Then there is that whole preparation with the pork intestines, if added. Yet, my aunt whipped it in 20 minutes flat. She made it fuzz-free without the intestines. Instead of stock she used good ol’ plain tap water. I like that it is simple and straightforward, allowing the sweet fresh oysters to shine through.
But best of all was just being in the kitchen with my aunt. I love, love, luuurrrrvvvv watching her and people from her generation cook. They have no professional training but have so much tips and techniques from years of waltzing in their home kitchens. My aunt belongs to the generation of home cooks who still buy just enough grocery for the day everyday. She hardly keeps anything frozen. Meat is often bought to be eaten on that very same day, especially seafood which is often still alive. She often wakes up early just to get the best catch. Maybe that is why I always have such a feast chez Auntie.
As I recreate this dish back home, I remember how she has such grace and sureness in the kitchen. Like it was her playground. Blindfold her and she would still be able to cut, chop, slice, add this and that, stir, taste………..and before you know it, set the dish in front of you.
I am long out of my mee su-ah supply. But I recently found these super thin egg noodles that have similar texture as mee su-ah. It lacks the toasted flavor but it’s a good substitute for me. Until my next visit to Taiwan, that is.
While I can’t dance my way through any dish yet, I made sure to get the freshest plump oysters I can find……..at the nearest supermarket. One day, I will learn to wake up at 5 AM just to get food. One day.
Ingredients:
150 grams fresh oysters
100 grams red mee su-ah or the thinnest rice vermicelli available
1 tablespoon sliced length-wise shallot
Oil for deep frying the shallots
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon julienned ginger
1 tablespoon potato starch (or corn starch)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons rice wine
3 cups water
Soy sauce
Cilantro to sprinkle on the noodles
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Wash and rinse the oysters until clean. Set aside.
2. Mix the potato starch with 1 cup water and set aside.
3. Heat up a pan on medium heat. Add in the oil and fry the shallots until golden brown. The oil should be about 1 cm from the pan. Remove the shallots, drain on paper towel and set aside. Pour out the oil, leaving in the pan about 1 tablespoon.
4. In the same pan, add in the sesame oil. Fry the ginger for a few seconds until it is fragrant, not golden brown. Add in the fried shallots (reserve some to sprinkle on the noodles later), rice wine, and soy sauce. Add in the 3 cups water. When it’s boiling add in the oyster and potato starch water. Stir quickly to prevent clumps from forming. Mix well and taste. Season as needed. Set aside. Do not cook the oysters too long or they will become tough.
5. Cook the noodles in boiling water. If you are using mee su-ah, it should take only a few seconds. Remove and put into a bowl. Pour oyster mixture over. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and fried shallots. Serve immediately.
Otherwise known as Snow Taro (Peuk Hima) in Thai. It’s easily available in most Chinese restaurants in Thailand but surprisingly, you can also order it at Seafood Market. I have always wanted to try making this dish but am told the timing is extremely difficult to master. A couple of months ago I happened to tune into a cook show (can’t remember which) that was making this dish. The chef whose name and restaurant he works in I happen to forget (sorry, chef!), had added a twist to the dish by adding coconut milk. That intrigued me so I did a quick search on the internet and read up on it in a couple of my Thai-Chinese cookbooks. It didn’t seem that difficult. Yet, I spend the whole afternoon working on it.
The first mistake I made was not wearing gloves when peeling the taro. It made my hands itch like crazy! The second was adding the coconut milk and water right from the beginning. The coconut solids burned before the sugar had a chance to crystallize. And lastly it took me three times to get the timing right – the taro sticks have to be added just when the sugar starts to crystallize and no later than that or it won’t coat the taros. (I also ran out of cilantro roots by the third try, so I used cilantro leaves instead. That is why you see green specks in the picture.) Still, it’s not that difficult, really. If I can do it in three tries, I am sure more seasoned cooks than I am can master it in one go. 
The main difference between the recipes that I found on the internet and those found in Chinese restaurants here is the addition of cilantro roots and scallions. I am not sure if this is an influence from the Thai-Chinese community (mostly from Teochiu) or a purely Thai influence. Either way, they taste better with the cilantro roots and scallions. I adapted the recipe from the Thai cookbook, Hua Seng Heng (Saengdad Publishing) and added the coconut milk.
Ingredients
1 taro (Mine came to about 510 grams)
1 cup water
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 cup and 2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon pounded cilantro roots
1 teaspoon chopped scallions (use only white part)
Pinch of salt
1. Wash and peel taro (wear gloves, please!) Cut them into 1×1 cm thick and 4 cm long sticks. Any thinner they will break easily when fried.
2. Fry the taros in medium heat. Do not let them turn yellow or brown. Again, the recipes on the internet say to fry till golden but the cookbook says otherwise. Granted I have never had this dish outside of Thailand, it’s never fried golden here. It ain’t called Snow Taro for no reason! You will know the taros are done when they float to the surface. It will still be white with a thin crispy skin and soft inside. (See picture below.) Set aside when done.
3. Set a frying pan (a wok is best but I don’t have any, yet (!!!!)) on medium heat. Pour in the water, sugar, salt, cilantro, and scallions. Mix well. Then comes the vigilant and tricky part. Keep close watch as the sugar turns a very thick syrup and starts to crystallize on the sides of the pan. This will take about 20-25 minutes. Picture below is when the sugar just about to crystallize and turn syrupy.
Add in the coconut milk at this point. Stir and mix well. I would have love to show you the more crystallized pictures but I didn’t have the time to run for the camera. In less than a minute after adding in the coconut milk, the syrup will begin to crystallize fast. At this point, put in the taro sticks. Quickly stir and coat them well. Remove from heat and watch as the sugar magically crystallize on the taro. Remove and arrange on plate. (I waited too long the first time. The sugar burned and turned into a lovely coconut caramel. Unfortunately, I couldn’t use it……it would have become Mud Taro.)
4. Scrap and mash the rest of the crystallized sugar. Pour on top of the taro and serve.
With a twist that is. The annual Thai Vegetarian Festival started a few days ago. It lasts nine days but hard-core devotees began “cleansing” themselves by abstaining from alcohol, all animal products and pungent vegetables a week before. I used to mock it when I was younger. I can understand the meat abstinence but how does giving up garlic,onion, etc. gain one a place in heaven????? But, of course, now that I am older and supposedly wiser, I realize it’s more than that. Someone once explained to me that the smell of pungent food such as garlic often stays with you for hours after eating. For novice monks it can be a distraction when they are learning more esoteric meditations. True, true, true. I can’t even go to bed after a hearty meal full of garlic! While others claim since you are going to be “purging” yourself, why make yourself smell bad….
Abstaining from killing and partaking animal products for just nine days once a year probably can’t buy anyone a place in heaven but it’s a good start. I personally feel it’s a yearly reminder to be a better person, to live a good life, and to ponder on compassion for all living things…..and it really all begins with something as simple as what we put in our mouths…even then, my festivities are limited to just abstaining from animal products. Not quite ready to give up wine, yet, and heaven will just have to deal with the garlic smell. 
The best way to kick off the festival is to start with a dish that reminds one of the good fortunes in life. For me, the most poignant reminder would be Sweet Yam Congee. Ahma (grandma in Chinese) tells me it was a staple during the war and harsh economic times in the past in Taiwan. Rice was scarce and expensive. Sweet yam was added to rice to give it more “volume”. These days, war or no war, it has become a part of Taiwanese cuisine. Now back to the twist — I added pine nuts. I got this idea from my sister-in-law’s Korean mother-in-law (confused?) She (Korean mom-in-law) owns the best Korean BBQ restaurant in Bangkok. No kidding. Naturally, this means, we get a constant supply of amazing Korean food for free, of course. One of the freebies that I love is Korean pine nuts congee. I had never thought of adding pine nuts until recently. That nutty taste somehow brings out the yams’ sweetness even more. If you don’t like pine nuts, you can omit them. The congee is just as great without them!
Ingredients:
1 cup Taiwanese/Japanese rice (I personally think these two varieties are best for congee since they are softer and a little bit stickier)
150 grams of sweet yam
80 grams pine nuts (finely ground)
4 cups water
1. Peel and cut the yam into large coarse chunks. Forget about cutting it into cute little cubes. It will melt when simmered for a long time.
2. Wash rice until the wash water is clear. If you are cooking it on the stove (which needs constant surveillance), put the water to a boil. Add in the rice, yam, and ground pine nuts. Wait for the water to boil again, and turn the heat down to low. Stir from time to time to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom and burning. It will take about 30-45 minutes for it to become congee. Add more water if it becomes too thick, unless that’s how you like it. But if you have a rice cooker, just put everything into the rice cooker!
3. Normally, it is eaten with other dishes, but I find that it makes a wonderful breakfast on its own with some toasted sesame seeds, sea salt, and chopped scallions (Korean style).
When I read this post I immediately think of the garlic somen that Grandma used to make me when I have late night attacks of hunger. I haven’t had this dish in almost fifteen years. If you talk to just about any Taiwanese they will smile or laugh….simply because it’s such a rustic and simple dish. Every household knows how to make this. No secret recipes or ingredients at all. Just cooked Taiwanese somen (which can be thinner than the Japanese counterpart) mixed with sesame oil, chopped garlic, chopped scallions, and a dash of thick Taiwanese soy sauce which is gravy-like with a slight hint of sweetness. (It’s also very different from kepac manis that is common in Southeast Asia cuisine). Because I have lived in Thailand for so long now, my palate screams for chili from time to time. Hence, I sometimes drizzle it with chili oil.
Ingredients:
Taiwanese somen (Can substitute with Japanese somen)
Taiwanese thick soy sauce or any other soy sauce you like
Chopped garlic and scallion
Sesame oil
No measurement for the ingredients because this is the kind of dish in which you add in as much of everything as you want.
1. Bring water to a boil and put in the somen. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions. My family loves these somen wrapped in fuschia paper. We always lug back by the ton. In fact, when we asked relatives to bring us somen, they know straight away that it has to be the fuschia paper-wrapped brand. They also cook extremely fast…in less than 20 seconds.
2. Remove immediately and put into large mixing bowl. Do NOT rinse in cold water. Add the sesame oil, garlic, and scallions. Mix everything up and the perfect night cap is served! Yes, you will reek of garlic but you will be in bed full and happy!
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