Chinese Green Onion Pancakes (Choong Yau Beng)

Whenever I see Green Onions Pancakes on the menu at a Chinese restaurant, I just have to order them. There's something about these thin pancakes that make me all happy inside. A little crispy, a little chewy, and fragrant with green onions, Chinese Green Onion Pancakes, or Choong Yau Beng, are my favorite snack. Tired of buying the pre-made frozen kind to have at home, I was determined to make some of my own and save some to freeze for later consumption. I like to make a double batch sometimes so that I can enjoy twice as much! I hope you'll like these as much as I do.  Eat HappiLee!

Chinese Green Onion Pancakes (Choong Yau Beng)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tablespoon lard/or shortening

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking powder

1 cup hot water

1 bunch of green onions (about 6-7) chopped

4-5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds


Hardware:
mixer with dough hook, or food processor with dough blade, or good old fashioned hands
rolling pin


Directions:

• Place the flour, lard/shortening, salt, and baking powder in the mixer with the dough hook. 
• Run the mixer and pour the hot water in until incorporated.
• Knead the dough until it forms a ball that is uniform and smooth, scraping the sides occasionally during the process. The dough should be silky and smooth to the touch and not sticky.

Note: If the dough is too moist or sticky, then incorporate a little flour at a time to get to the right consistency.

• Remove the dough ball from the mixer and set on plastic wrap. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap sealing around the sides and allow to rest for at 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, work on the filling:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a medium pan. When the pan is hot, add the green onions, making sure to coat the onions with the oil. 
• Saute the green onions for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant and set aside.
• Put the sesame seeds in a small dry pan. Toast on medium heat until golden brown. Watch carefully as they can burn quickly.
• Transfer the sesame seeds to a small bowl to prevent burning.

Back to the dough:

• Flatten the dough a little and cut into 8 equal pieces. 
• Roll each of the 8 sections into balls and cover with plastic wrap.
• On a lightly floured surface, use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough into a circle until you reach 1/8 inch thickness.
• Spoon one tablespoon of green onions onto the circle and spread from the center outwards, leaving about 1/2 inch from the edge.
• Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds onto the circle.
• Starting from one edge of the circle, gently roll the circle onto itself like a rug.
• Starting from one end of the roll, curl the roll in a spiral like a cinnamon bun, tucking the end under itself so its stays.
• Repeat for the remaining 7 dough balls until you have 8 green onion buns.
• With the palm of your hand, flatten out one of the green onion buns.
• With a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll from the center-out until your reach 1/8 inch thickness.
• Place on plastic wrap to rest and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Repeat for the remaining green onion buns until you have 8 pancakes.

Note: At this point you can either cook all of them or freeze them in a resealable freezer bag for later consumption.
Time to cook!

• Heat one tablespoon of oil on a medium to large nonstick pan over medium heat until hot.
• Place one pancake in the pan and fry till golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Flip and repeat on other side for another 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, and cook as many as you like.
• Slice into wedges and serve. You can eat them by itself, or serve it with soup or rice porridge.

Chinese Crispy Roasted Pork Belly

This dish brings back so many memories. Most kids would cringe at the sight of an entire pig hanging from a hook, but for me, in San Francisco's Chinatown, the sight and smell of a whole crispy roasted pig was above all treats. The savory and juicy flesh, combined with the crispy crunchy texture of the crackling skin became my standard for all crispy pigs.  

My niece and nephew beside the Wedding Pig
(the pig is the one in the middle)

Flash forward about 25 years later and I get to have my very own pig at my wedding! Yes, one of the luxuries of having a traditional Chinese wedding. I recall my 7 year old niece asking her mother, "Can I have a roasted pig when I get married?" I don't know if I can wait that long for her to get married, so I was determined to make my own. A good friend of mine, Jenny H, said that her mother, makes it at home. What?! Seriously?! At home?! So after careful research and three tries at home with various methods to get the crispiest skin, I am proud to introduce my first recipe post: 


Chinese Crispy Roasted Pork Belly. 

Ingredients:

1 slab of lean pork belly with skin on (check your local Asian food store or butcher)

Salt Bake Chicken Spice Mix (can also be found in most Asian food stores)

kosher salt


Hardware:
large pot
knife
icepick or something very sharp and pointy
roasting rack and drip tray or aluminium foil
household fan

Directions:

• Boil 4 quarts of water in a pot or enough to cover the pork belly. Rinse the pork belly in cold water and when the water is boiling, place pork in boiling water for at least 3-5 minutes. This will help render some of the fat and prepare the skin for the next step. 
• Drain water and remove pork from pot. Rinse with cold water for easier handling. Using a sharp knife, scrape the surface of the skin to remove any scum or hairs (yes, there might be some still there). Now's the fun part!
• Using an icepick or something very sharp and pointy, stab the pork rind right down to the fatty layer but being careful not to pierce the meat. This will allow the skin to fry itself with its own fat. Now go "Psycho" on it!
• Dry off the entire slab with a paper towel. 
• Sprinkle the spice mix on the meat side of the pork and rub it in making sure you get it on all sides except the skin. Repeat this step once more.
• Sprinkle the skin side of the pork with kosher salt and rub it in. Repeat this step once more. The salt will help the skin crackle during the cooking process.
• Elevate the slab and cover loosely with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator anywhere from overnight to 4 days. The longer the better so that the fat will shrink as the salt draws out the moisture from the fat which results in crispier skin along with thin layers of fat in between the juicy meat.

4 days later....

• Remove pork from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, so at least 1-2 hours. Preheat the oven at 450 on roast or bake. If you have a convection oven, even better as this will help circulate the heat better. Place slab on roasting rack (with drip tray underneath) to allow heat to circulate, and place on the middle rack in the oven. Cook for 30-45 minutes until skin starts getting bubbly. 

Note: Your oven will sound like its raining inside from the oil splattering around (thus the drip tray/foil comes in handy!). If you have a household fan or vent hood, turn it on now to help prevent your smoke detectors from going off. I learned my lesson the hard way.

• When the skin is evenly golden and bubbly, your masterpiece is done!

Note: If there are any spots that are uneven, broil it on the top rack for a few minutes, keep your eyes on it to prevent a pig disaster. The more even you can get the skin bubbly, the more crispy the entire layer of skin will be. If some parts of the skin gets a little bit charred, don't worry, you can use a serrated knife to scrape off the excess char.

• Let it rest for 10-15 minutes to allow all the savory juices to settle. Slice and serve with a big bowl of rice and Eat HappiLee!