I've been reading a book called "Dreams of Joy" by Lisa See and it helped me remember that I'm 1/4 Shanghainese. And of course what do Shanghainese people love to do? Eat.
The following is a recipe of a snack food that my mom (she's 1/2 Shanghainese) used to make sometimes in the afternoons on weekends. We sometimes even have this for a light lunch. When I experience Shanghainese food as an adult, I can definitely see the root of this recipe coming from the food vendor streets of Shanghai.
To make six:
Fine dice 2 tbsp of each of the following: ( you want this to be chewy in your pancake but not so big that it takes over)
- Scallions (green part)
- Pickled turnip
- Chinese sausage
- Dried shrimp (remember to soak properly!)
In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups of white flour with 1 tbsp of five-spice powder and 2 tsp of salt. Add water until desired pancake batter consistency.
Pancake Consistency: If you like your pancakes thicker, then use less water. If you like your pancakes thinner, then add more water (for a runny mix). But make sure you don't make it tooo runny, or the pancake may not be able to form. My mom's rule of thumb is to make it thicker, test one piece, and see. If you need to thin it, you can always add more water. Remember if you are reconstituting for the right thickness, you need to compensate the recipe with the equal amount with chopped ingredients, 5 spice powder, and salt.
Once you have the desired thickness to your pancake mix, add all the ingredients into the batter. Stir.
Frying: Heat a griddle/pan to medium. Note: It would be wise to use a large pan, otherwise you'll be standing there ALL DAY! When the pan is hot, add enough oil just to grease the bottom. Put the batter into the pan by forming small puddles. When each puddle start to develop a translucent "edge" then you know you're ready to flip the pancake. Once flipped, press gently down on the tops of each pancake to cook the batter underneath.
When both sides are a little browned and/or translucent, remove from heat and dry on paper towels to soak up the oil. Eat right away!
Enjoy! You can tell by the picture that it's good - this was the last piece and already has a few bites in it. Good thing I caught myself in time!
