Dinner 10/24Moo Shu Tofu
(tofu, carrot, red bell pepper, baby eggplant, hot cherry pepper, sliced brussel sprouts, scallions, in a sauce of hoisin, tamari, sesame oil, sherry, water, cornstarch)
Scallion Pancakes
(recipe below)
We went deep into the freezer tonight and found the beauties above -- Scallion Pancakes and the seldom seen Moo Shu Pancakes (made on Christmas Eve 2005 -- because nothing says "Christmas Eve" like making some moo shu, eh?)
The filling was coated with the standard hoisin based sauce, but once inside those moo shu pancakes, within the first bite, the whole package suddenly became much lighter, almost airy -- which is good, becasue there were many pancakes still left to go ;)
Scallion Pancakes
2 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp. peanut oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
6 scallions chopped
peanut oil (for frying)
Using a wooden spoon, stir together the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the boiling water while stirring constantly. Cover the bowl and set it aside until the dough is cool enough to knead, about 10 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic, about five minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Lightly oil a bowl with peanut oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat the top with oil. Cover again and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Lightly flour the work surface. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 10" x 16" rectangle, approximately 1/4" thick. Brush the entire surface with sesame oil, the sprinkle the chopped scallions over the area.
Starting on the left side, roll the dough into a thick, even cylinder 10" long. Cut into six equal slices. With the rolling pin, roll each slice of dough into a pancake 1/4" thick, 6" - 8" in diameter. Cover each pancake as finished to prevent drying out.
Heat peanut oil to 375F and deep-fry for 30 seconds per side, drain on paper towels. Cut into wedges and serve warm.
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