Korean Scallion Pancakes

When I lived in Mountain View, California, I used to patronize a little Mom and Pop Korean restaurant. The food was delicious, plentiful and inexpensive. One of the appetizers that dear daughter and I would often get as a meal was called Pa Jun - eggy pancakes flavored with minced scallions and served with a vinegar & soy sauce dipping sauce. Oftentimes, these pancakes were garnished with sesame seeds. We loved these pancakes and sometimes would get them for lunch.

Years later, I came across a couple of different ways to make them. One calls for a dough that is kneaded, rolled into a tube, then coiled into a circle, rolled thin and finally, cooked on a hot griddle. Although these look delicious, they are definitely not what dear daughter and I loved so much.

Here is a foolproof, quick and easy way to make these delicious pancakes!

Korean Scallion Pancakes (Pa Jun)
1/4 C silken tofu (this replaces the 1 egg in the original recipe), mashed
1/2 C all-purpose flour (not self-rising)
1 bunch scallions, minced, using 2 inches of the green
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C ice water

Place a small, well-seasoned cast iron skillet on the stove, about 6 inches across and heat on medium-low heat. wipe bottom of skillet with vegetable oil. In a medium bowl, whisk the water and tofu till tofu is smooth. Then whisk in flour and salt till smooth, then stir in scallions. Fill a 1/2 C measure with the batter and drop on the hot skillet, cooking till browned on one side, about 2 min. Flip and cook another 2 min. Repeat with rest of batter. Serve warm with dipping sauce or Ponzu sauce.

Dipping Sauce
3 Tbs rice wine vinegar
3 Tbs soy sauce
pinch red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

Today, I made these in my nonstick silver dollar pancake pan which worked like a charm! I think I'll always make them this size now, because they are so easy to pick up and dip in the sauce using your fingers.

Lebanese Spinach and Lentil Soup - Rishta

I think I've blogged before about my love affair with lentils. If not, well, suffice it to say that I adore lentils! I always have, even as a child. Don't ask me why, I just do. As with all great love affairs in history, I spend as much time as possible with my beloved. On Thursday night, I made rishta, a wonderful, homey, Lebanese lentil and spinach soup.

My Lebanese mother-in-law was an outstanding cook, and while we often had different opinions, she always loved that I appreciated her cooking. She made the first rishta I ever had, and I was smitten, so I went home and tried to duplicate it. No luck - mine was just not as good as hers, and she NEVER gave recipes out. She did this because it meant that she would have lots of people visiting and she could cook for them. Old-time Lebanese women never wonder why they were created, or what their role in life is - they already know that it's to feed hungry people! Then we visited her sister Rose one day, and as we were visiting, she decided to cook something for us. That something was rishta. The best rishta in the entire world. Aunt Rose laughed at me because I was nearly swooning with bliss, and Uncle George said to my husband, "That's an odd one you got there, Jerry." Of course, I asked for the recipe, and Aunt Rose told me the secret to good rishta. It was like hitting the motherlode! When we got home that day, I immediately made a pot. In fact, I made so much rishta over the next month or two that Jerry finally asked me to stop!

The other night, I needed to use about a half pound of fresh, organic baby spinach, and rishta floated into my mind. I haven't made it in a long time and decided to whip up a pot. I also had a pound of frozen spinach and I always have lots of lentils on hand, so I was in business. Hunger dictated that I use store-bought noodles instead of making my own, but if you just happen to baking some pita bread, use one ball of dough for the noodles. Just roll it out very thinly, maybe 1/8 inch, cut into 1/4 inch strips, then slice diagonally so they are about 1 inch in length. Here is my recipe:

Rishta

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped
1-1/2 tsp dried basil
1 Tbs ground coriander seed
1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and washed
1 Tbs bouillion powder (I like Vogue Veggie Base)
1 bay leaf
8 cups water
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb baby spinach or chopped spinach, fresh or frozen, or other greens such as chard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup broken vermicelli or other soup noodles

Pick over and wash the lentils. Place in a soup pot with the bay leaf, bouillion powder and water, and simmer until the lentils are almost tender - about 35 minutes or so. While the lentils are simmering, prepare the onions. Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion till beginning to carmelize. Add basil, coriander, garlic to the onions. Season with salt and pepper and continue to saute until the edges of the onion are carmelized and the spices are very fragrant. Add the sauteed onions to the pot, scraping every last bit of goodness out of the frying pan and into the soup pot and bring back to a simmer. Add in the pasta and simmer for a couple of minutes while you wash and chop the spinach. Add the spinach and taste for salt and pepper. When the pasta is done, the soup is ready to eat. This is traditionally served with a squeeze of lemon juice in each individual bowl. This made 4 hearty servings.

Aunt Rose told me that Syrians sometimes put tomatoes in as well, but she would never do such a thing! I never do either, but its a thought...