Today happens to be both Friday the 13th (in the western calendar) and Mid-Autumn Festival (in the lunar calendar). Mid-Autumn Festival is a holiday where families join together to celebrate the full moon. Growing up in New York, my family celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival every year with bountiful food and specialty treats. On this holiday specifically, my family insists on serving moon cakes. Moon cakes are desserts made with concentrated lotus paste or red bean paste. I didn’t love moon cakes growing up since I found it a bit on the sweeter side, but ever since moving to the Midwest, I definitely do miss the treat. In the days leading up to the holiday, my mom would clean the house and stock up on ingredients to prepare our favorite foods. I would request for my mom and dad to make steamed fish topped with ginger scallion oil. When the day arrives, my family spends a few hours preparing all of our favorite foods in our small Brooklyn kitchen. The rest of the evening meal is rounded out with some sort of poultry dish, seafood dish, and beef dish. Dessert was usually moon cakes, star fruit, and seasonal fresh cut fruit. The bakeries throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan would sell the freshest moon cakes and other festive treats in the month leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival. My family always made sure to purchase two large tins of moon cakes – one plain and one filled with egg yolks, nuts, and all the fixings. We never actually finish either of the tins of moon cakes on the day of the holiday, but my family continued with this tradition year after year. The moon cakes were stored in the refrigerator until our family gathered for dinner during the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Right when the sun goes down and the moon becomes clear in the evening sky, my family would gather in our backyard to enjoy food, festivities, and laughter. My dad and mom would take turns telling the same folktales. We would listen intently, enjoy the fruits of my parents’ labor, join in on the fun festivities, and laugh throughout the night. Reflecting back on these childhood memories and stories growing up definitely makes me miss my family. This year, Kevin and I celebrated the holiday early with some scallion pancakes and star fruit. Kevin has to travel to Europe for a work summit on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, so we decided to celebrate the holiday a few days earlier. Scallion pancakes is a dish both Kevin and I love, so I purposely made some scallion pancakes to celebrate this special occasion. While the scallion pancakes are absolutely delicious on their own, I always like to pair the scallion pancakes with a sauce. I decided to put a spin on my usual soy vinegar dip and cilantro scallion soy dip by making a chimichurri soy dip. The chimichurri soy dip works very well when paired with the scallion pancakes. It has a similar flavor profile to my soy vinegar dip and cilantro scallion soy dip. Plus, the beautiful green hue makes the sauce a lot more enticing. The scallion pancakes are flaky, oniony, and savory. The chimichurri soy dip adds a tangy, garlicky, fresh, and salty punch. When paired together, the flavors are just a match made in food heaven. The scallion pancakes with chimichurri soy dip was the perfect light brunch for two to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Kevin and I both had a very relaxing (early) Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. I wish you and your family a very a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
For the scallion pancakes:
· 3½ cups all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading and rolling dough
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1½ cups hot water (about 160°F)
· 3 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
· 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
· 3 stalks scallions, very thinly sliced
For the chimichurri soy dip:
· 9-11 sprigs fresh parsley
· 6 cloves garlic
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Directions:
1) In a large bowl, combine the flour and kosher salt. Use a mixing spoon to stir the flour and kosher salt as you gradually add hot water. Stir the flour mixture and water until a dough forms. Knead the dough using one hand for about 3 minutes until you have a smooth dough. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil to coat the dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes before you begin rolling out the pancakes. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
2) Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the stalks of scallions on a cutting board. Divide the sliced scallions into nine portions. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix the remaining two teaspoons of sesame oil with three tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once the dough is ready, divide the dough into nine pieces. Add flour to your working surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough into a flat round circle. Brush on a thin coat of oil mixture. Add a sprinkle of sliced scallions. Roll the flattened dough into a log. Twist the log into a circle. Use your rolling pin to flatten the circle into a pancake shape. Repeat the process for the remaining dough pieces.
3) Heat a large frying pan on medium heat. Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Fry three scallion pancakes at a time until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining vegetable oil and pancakes. Let the pancakes stand for about a minute before serving.
4) To make the dipping sauce, combine the parsley, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and soy sauce in a food processor. Blend all ingredients for 1-2 minutes, until the parsley is finely blended and all ingredients are well combined. Serve with pancakes.
Takeaways: Scallion pancakes make for a great appetizer and are wonderful on their own. I do, however, like to pair my scallion pancakes with a savory sauce. My favorite sauces for serving alongside scallion pancakes are usually soy vinegar dip and cilantro scallion soy dip. After making my chimichurri soy dip, I think I may have found a new favorite sauce for serving alongside my scallion pancakes.