Absence Does Make the Heart Grow Fonder...Of Green Onion Pancakes

Those well versed in Medical School lore are probably aware of the sacredness of the summer between M1 and M2 year. It is dubbed, somewhat ominously, "The Last Summer You Will Ever Have..."(dum Dum DUM!) by many of those who have walked this path. Given that, many people use this time to either relax, travel, research, or do all three (plus boards studying ...for - you know - those ambitious types...)

This is a farm we ate breakfast and lunch at on our way to and back from Cotopaxi, Ecuador.

So this past month I had the free time and the privilege to explore/experience the wonderful cultures of Ecuador and Peru.  Both countries warrant full blog posts to themselves, so I wont go into extensive detail here. What I will say is that the food in both countries is cheap, fresh, and delicious. My group would frequent a lunch joint which would serve a 3 course lunch for $3.75! This would include fresh squeezed juice, a small appetizer, soup, a main dish, and a desert. Muy delicioso!

The standard fair at an Ecuadorian restaurant is churrasco served over rice with fries or beans, plantains, and aji. I unfortunately did not take a single picture of this standard meal, which I consumed multiple times... In reparation for this somewhat tragic mishap, here is a photo of a fluffy dog, people watching out of a second story balcony in Cuzco, Peru.

  

 Professor Puppison Phd explains , "Dislodging the supporting beams serves as a portal through which my body can fit. This is necessary to achieve full  180 degree people watching capacity...My next paper will be a cost analysis of 360 degree balcony people watching." Or he's just hangin' his paws out there...:)

Long story short, as the days of my 4 week trip drew on, while I was still enjoying fresh ceviche et al, I was starting to miss the foods of my home. And the first thing which popped into my mind, and not coincidentally, the first thing I cooked, were these green onion pancakes! These are oh-so-simple, yet oh-so-good, fried, crispy on the outside, doughy on the inside, flaky treats. Below is a step-by-step recipe adapted from a spattering of sources.

Green Onion Pancakes
Ingredients for 3-4 pancakes
1 cup flour
1/3 cup warmed water
3 scallions finely chopped
Vegetable Oil
Salt
Pepper

Recipe
1. Slowly pour and stir in the 1/3 cup of warmed water into the 1 cup of flour. I usually like to add a table spoon or so of water, then stir, then add another tablespoon, then stir, and repeat until the dough reaches its desired consistency.  As the dough begins to clump together, stop, and knead the dough until it forms a firm, barely sticky ball of dough. You may need more or less water than the 1/3 cup. I find, I usually need a bit more.
2. Cover dough with a moist kitchen towel, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
3. Next, grab about 1/3rd to 1/4th of dough. On a flowered surface, roll dough out to about 1/8 of an inch.

4. Spread a thin layer of vegetable oil on the dough. Then sprinkle the salt, pepper, and green onions onto the dough. I find that the salt, pepper, and green onion density is very instrumental to the tastiness of this dish (especially SALT!), so below I are three pictures depicting my preferred density of the salt, pepper, and green onions respectively.

5. Starting from one edge, start rolling up the dough (like a jelly roll). I like to crimp the edges, as to prevent the oil from spilling out during the next rolling process. (see image below)

6. Then coil the dough rope into a round disk.

7. Sprinkle your workstation with some more flour, as the next rolling step can get a bit messy with oil. Roll the coiled disk, until it is about 1/8-1/6 of an inch thick. Liberally flour your workstation and rolling pin to prevent sticking.

8.  Place a frying pan on medium heat. Coat bottom of pan with vegetable oil. Brush one side of the pancake with vegetable oil. Place the oiled side of the pancake down on a medium hot frying pan. While the oiled side is cooking, you can brush the other side with vegetable oil. Once the first side has reached a golden brown color, flip the pancake. Fry until both sides are golden brown.

9. Cut and enjoy!