Scallion Pancakes

Flecked with salt and scallions, these delicious savory bing (pancakes) are addictive.

I’ve been teaching these in my live stream cooking classes and have a huge stack in my freezer these days, so I can take them out for a quick breakfast, or side for lunch or dinner. If freezing, roll out the pancakes and then freeze them in zip-lock bags, in between layers of parchment. When you want to eat them, remove them from the freezer, defrost for 1 hour, and pan-fry.

Makes 8 pancakes

4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup minced scallions or leeks
salt, to taste
a vegetable oil with a high smoke point (canola, sunflower, etc)

Place flour in a large bowl. Add water 1/4 of a cup at a time and use two chopsticks to stir into the flour. Once incorporated, repeat with the remaining water. Knead for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be pliable like putty but not stick to your hands. Cover with a wet towel and let sit for 30 minutes.

Turn dough onto a well-floured board or surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Work with 1 piece at a time, covering the rest with a wet towel. Roll the piece into a ball and place on the board. Flatten it with your hand. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough as thinly as you can. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle with scallions and salt.

Roll the dough into a loose tube. Pinch close each end of the table. Brush the top of the tube with oil. Roll the tube into a coil (like the pattern of a snail shell).

Place the dough upright on the board, the way you would with a cinnamon roll. Then flatten the dough again with your hand, gently pushing it downward at an angle, so that the dough forms overlapping layers. Roll out the dough until it’s less than 1/4 inch thick.

Heat a flat pan on medium high for 1 minute and add 1 tablespoon oil. Once the oil is hot, place the flattened dough in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Flip once the bottom has turned golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Cook on the other side until it browns. Plate and serve.

This recipe can be adapted with an endless variety of fillings, from Sichuan peppercorns & cooked minced pork to cinnamon & sugar.

Cuban Black Beans & Rice

This recipe goes with a recent article I wrote for Heated, Mark Bittman’s Medium.com blog.

What I love about black beans and rice is that they go well with almost any protein. You can pair them with scrambled eggs, roast pork, fried chicken, roasted fish, and sausages. We’ve even eaten them with hot dogs, the rice and beans a healthier stand-in for white hot dog buns — what could be more kid-friendly?  

Cuban Rice and Black Beans

2 cups white or brown rice (chose your variety)

2 cups dried black beans
1 large green pepper, sliced in half
1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, minced
4 large cloves garlic
1 tbs minced fresh cilantro (or culantro, a Cuban herb, if you can find it)
1 tsp minced fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried oregano) 
1 dried bay leaf
2 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp cooking wine (vino secco)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp olive oil 

Cook the rice according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (My favorite way to make rice is in an InstantPot.)

Soak the beans for 3-4 hours or overnight. Boil the beans in a pressure cooker with 2 1/2 quarts of water, half the pepper, and 1 tbs vegetable oil until soft, about half an hour to an hour (depending on how long you’ve soaked them). Turn off the heat. 

Mince the other half of the green pepper. In a small frying pan, heat 1/2 tbs of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and green pepper and stir for 4-5 minutes until the onion and garlic are well browned. Add the contents of the pan into the pressure cooker and mash the beans with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the olive oil into the pressure cooker, cover, and boil for 10-15 minutes until it is well thickened. Remove from heat. Add a tsp of olive oil and stir before serving, with steamed white rice.