Veggie and tofu stirfry with scallion pancakes
One of the more time-consuming meals I made recently incorporates the beloved scallion pancake, a dim sum item served in many Chinese restaurants (in North America, anyway). Scallion pancakes are delicious in their own right as appetizers or for brunch, but I made them with a vegetarian stirfy and steamed rice.
Scallion pancakes are not fluffy and sweet like western pancakes; they're more like a flat bread, such as roti, chapati, or tortilla. They're normally served moderately salted, and perhaps with a dipping sauce. Because of how they're rolled, the pancakes are layered and puff up slightly when cooking.
Preparing this meal required planning. First, I made the dough for the pancakes and rolled them out. I scaled the recipe to end up with 6 smaller-sized pancakes. My scallion pancake recipe, with pictures, is here, but there are many different recipes online from which you can choose.
After rolling them out and flouring each one just enough to prevent sticking, I placed the pancakes on a plate, wrapped them in plastic, and stuck them in the fridge. (I had done this several hours beforehand. You can do it the day before; the pancakes keep well in the fridge as long as they are well wrapped.)
Next, I prepared the stirfy.
Ingredients for stirfry (6 servings)
Sauce ingredients
Directions
Note: Add the sprouts right before serving the stirfry. (This is because the sprouts lose their crunch fast. It's just a preference of mine; you can put them in the stirfry along with the tofu if you don't mind soft sprouts. My parents often cook them until tender.)
While the stirfry was kept warm, I prepped the pan for cooking the scallion pancakes. Then, I cooked the pancakes. It is important to serve them immediately, so as soon as they were done, I added the bean sprouts to the stirfry and mixed well.
At the table, we had steamed rice--which I had in the rice cooker while I was cooking the veggies--as well as scallion pancakes and veggies and tofu. The veggies and tofu were great with rice, but we also tried wrapping the mix with pancakes. That was yummy too!
Needless to say, there were lots of leftovers. Not a bad thing, in my book. And don't forget, leftover white rice can be turned into fried rice the next day.
Scallion pancakes are not fluffy and sweet like western pancakes; they're more like a flat bread, such as roti, chapati, or tortilla. They're normally served moderately salted, and perhaps with a dipping sauce. Because of how they're rolled, the pancakes are layered and puff up slightly when cooking.
Preparing this meal required planning. First, I made the dough for the pancakes and rolled them out. I scaled the recipe to end up with 6 smaller-sized pancakes. My scallion pancake recipe, with pictures, is here, but there are many different recipes online from which you can choose.
After rolling them out and flouring each one just enough to prevent sticking, I placed the pancakes on a plate, wrapped them in plastic, and stuck them in the fridge. (I had done this several hours beforehand. You can do it the day before; the pancakes keep well in the fridge as long as they are well wrapped.)
Next, I prepared the stirfy.
Tofu stirfry
- 3 T canola oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup baby bok choy, sliced
- 1.5 cups broccoli, chopped
- 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (I used white and shiitake)
- 2.5 cups diced firm tofu
- 1.5 cups mung bean sprouts
Sauce ingredients
- 5 T soy sauce (sodium-reduced preferred)
- 3 T cider vinegar
- 2 T corn starch
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- grated ginger, to taste (I had a piece in the freezer, so I used my microplane to just grate a bunch)
- 3 T chopped cilantro
Directions
- Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and put aside.
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat, making sure the oil coats the wok evenly.
- Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, and then add the bok choy and broccoli. Stir well, until the bok choy wilts a little and the broccoli turns greener (about 2 minutes).
- Stir in the mushrooms and continue to cook until the liquid evaporates.
- Add tofu and mix until heated through.
- Stir in the sauce and mix well.
- Remove from heat and keep warm and covered.
Note: Add the sprouts right before serving the stirfry. (This is because the sprouts lose their crunch fast. It's just a preference of mine; you can put them in the stirfry along with the tofu if you don't mind soft sprouts. My parents often cook them until tender.)
Scallion pancakes
While the stirfry was kept warm, I prepped the pan for cooking the scallion pancakes. Then, I cooked the pancakes. It is important to serve them immediately, so as soon as they were done, I added the bean sprouts to the stirfry and mixed well.
At the table, we had steamed rice--which I had in the rice cooker while I was cooking the veggies--as well as scallion pancakes and veggies and tofu. The veggies and tofu were great with rice, but we also tried wrapping the mix with pancakes. That was yummy too!
Stir-fried veggies wrapped in a scallion pancake
Needless to say, there were lots of leftovers. Not a bad thing, in my book. And don't forget, leftover white rice can be turned into fried rice the next day.
