Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Spring onion cakes from Hong Kong are a breakfast treat worth knowing about. It’s like a puffy pancake with a crisp scallion filling. I like to add other stuff to the mix like smoked salmon or sun-dried tomato. I say have fun with it, and the technique is so simple you will be customizing them before you know it.
Ingredients
6 ounces A.P. flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces Crisco, or traditionally lard
4 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon cooking oil
3 ounces scallions cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
oil for deep frying
Procedure
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and Crisco or lard. Mix with your fingertips till dough looks crumbly. Now add the cold water and combine to form a smooth dough. To prepare filling, heat oil in a sauté pan and sauté the scallions for 1 minute. Add Soy and sesame oil and remove from heat. Drain off excess juice. To make cakes, roll the dough out into a 9 inch circle on a surface sprinkled with a little flour. Sprinkle onions over pastry. Roll up into a log and cut into 5 equal pieces. Now roll each piece into a 3 inch-circle. Deep fry onion cakes in hot oil till crisp and golden brown. Cut each cake in quarters and serve immediately. Great with Chinese plum jam or homemade chili jam.
