Scallion Pancakes and Shrimp Fried Rice

Two dishes I never order from Asian restaurants anymore are scallion pancakes and fried rice as I find both are usually too greasy. So, if I ever get a hankering for either, both of which are quick and use ingredients I often have lying around, I have to make them at home. The pancake recipe below is for a version of Korean Pajeon, and not for scallion pancakes that are usually served at Chinese restaurants, which I found on David Lebowitz's site. My favorite part of the recipe is the egg that is swirled into the pan and cooked until the edges are crispy. I have made the Pajeon with cut-up shrimp with great success. The batter is a little thick, so make sure to nudge the batter all around the pan. I serve the Pajeon with a simple sauce of soy sauce with a touch of rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.

I can't say that I follow a set recipe for fried rice every time I make it or that my version is very authentic. I have made fried rice so often that I just tend to throw in whatever I have on hand and season to taste. However, I do recommend that you read this great post by Jaiden Hair of Steamy Kitchen on the Simply Recipes blog. Jaiden gives several useful tips on how to avoid making fried rice that is too mushy or goopy. One of her cardinal rules is to use day old rice, which I have to admit, I don't always do if I don't plan ahead. For my version, I use a lot of soy sauce, add some sambal oelek because I like the heat, add garlic and ginger, and use basmati rice because it is usually what I have on hand and because it is very close to jasmine rice.

Korean Pancake

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup ice-cold water

1/2 tsp salt

1 large or extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 bunch of scallions

soy sauce

optional: cut up shrimp

oil, for frying

white wine vinegar

sesame oil

Directions

1. Stir together the flour, water and salt until just mixed.

2. Chop the green parts of the scallions into 3-inch lengths. Reserve the white parts for another use.

3. Heat a thin layer of oil in a 9 or 10-inch skillet, preferably non-stick, until hot. Fry the scallions until they're completely cooked through and soft. Add a touch of soy sauce to the pan when they're almost done, to season the scallions.

4. If using other ingredients, such as shrimp — add them now, then toss a few times to heat them through.

5. Pour the pancake batter over the scallions (and other stuff in the pan), spreading the batter, and cook a few minutes until the bottom is nice and brown underneath. Lift the edge to peek.

6. Pour the beaten egg on top then swirl the pan to even out the egg a bit, still keeping it pretty uneven, and cook until the egg is just beginning to firm near the edges.

7. Using a wide spatula, flip the pancake and cook for another minute or two until the egg is set and preferably crispy at the edges.

8. Slide pancake onto a cutting board, then cool to room temperature. Cut into six or eight wedges, and serve with dipping sauce made by mixing 3 parts soy sauce with 1-2 parts rice vinegar and a few drops of sesame oil. A bit of chile oil can also be added.

Makes one 9-inch pancake.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Ingredients

8 ounces small raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
3 eggs, beaten

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 tsp grated ginger
2 stalks green onion, minced
3 cups leftover rice, grains separated well
3/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional; this ingredient is sometimes used in fried rice served at Indian Chinese restaurants)
soy sauce

sambal oelek
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method

1. Heat a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the pan is hot enough for a bead of water to instantly sizzle and evaporate, add just 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and swirl to coat pan.

2. Add the shrimp, quickly spreading out around the cooking surface area so that they are not overlapping. Add a touch of soy sauce to taste and stir fry until about 80% cooked through (the shrimp should have just turned pink). Remove the shrimp from the pan onto a plate.

3. Turn the heat to medium, let the pan heat up again. Add the eggs, stirring in a quick motion to break up and scramble the eggs. When the eggs are just cooked through, dish out of the pan into the same plate as the cooked shrimp.

4. Use paper towels to wipe the same wok or sauté pan clean and return to high heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is very hot, add the green onions, garlic, and ginger and fry until fragrant. Add in the rice and stir well to mix in the garlic, ginger, and green onions throughout. Spread the rice all around the wok surface area and let the rice heat up, untouched until you hear the bottoms of the grains sizzle, about 1-2 minutes. Use the spatula to toss the rice, again spreading the rice out over the surface of wok.

5. Drizzle the soy sauce all around the rice and toss. Add the peas, the cooked eggs, shrimp, cilantro (if using), and sesame oil, tossing to mix the rice evenly with all of the ingredients. Let everything heat back up again. Taste and add sambal oelek and soy sauce to taste.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

I love bar food as much as the next person but buffalo chicken wings are my absolute favorite. I am fairly picky about my wings, however, and often find fault with the wings I find at most sports bars -- too mushy, too small, not spicy enough, too fratty, etc. I didn't dare make them at home due to my fear of deep frying until I found this recipe on the wonderful food blog, Simply Recipes. Elise's recipe is ingenious as it calls for broiling rather than deep frying the wings. The broiling method gives the wings a wonderful char that you can usually only get from grilling. The marinade is given some depth by adding several different types of heat to the usual hot sauce and butter -- paprika, cayenne, and black pepper -- each of which hits you in a different part of your tongue. I have reproduced Elise's recipe below with some slight modifications. Elise also has a recipe for blue cheese dip that I have yet to try. I just stick to bottled low fat blue cheese salad dressing for these wings -- yes, Kraft works just fine for bar food.

We had these wings with Artichoke Basille's Pizza, which deserves its own post. However, after standing in the cold for 20 minutes, the ornery guy behind the counter threw our three slices (2 margarita and one artichoke basil) into a small box that threatened to fall apart the whole way home. By the time we got home (and we made quite the trek for this pizza), the slices had melded into one, which was less than ideal for photography. Our love of the pizza is such, though, that we will be going back.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken wings (about 12 wings)
3 Tbsp butter, melted (I have used less than called for with good results)
4 Tbsp bottled hot pepper sauce (I prefer Frank's Original)
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Cut off wing tips (discard or reserve for other use such as making stock). Cut wings at the joint. I always look for wings that are already cut up as I HATE this step.

2. Create a marinade by stirring together the melted butter, hot pepper sauce, paprika, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the marinade over the chicken pieces. Allow chicken to marinate at room temperature for about half an hour in baking pan you will use for broiling (I have skipped the marinating step without too much of a decline in the flavor). Reserve the 2 tablespoons of marinade for coating after the pieces come out of the oven.

3. Broil chicken wings 4 to 5 inches from the heat for about 10 minutes on each side, until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove from oven and baste with reserved marinade.

Makes about 24 wings.