Who can believe that Rosh Hashanah is just 1 week away??!! This year could not have gone any faster, which I guess is a good thing, right? Oy vey.
My husband and I have a yearly tradition to go to the Peikes’ for first night of yom tov. And if you caught his Braised Short Ribs post, you’ll notice that this year is an Asian-themed menu! Sort of a “Chinese New Year”-style. For Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Ah, see what we did there? 🙂 Okay, well technically, the Chinese New Year is in Feb 2021, the year of the Ox, but who knows, maybe Daniel will use that as inspo and make a braised oxtail recipe? #challenge
And so, it’s my turn now to present you with my easy-peasy Leek Pancakes with Spicy Honey Dipping Sauce!
Symbolic Foods
Scallion Pancakes are the more traditional version of this dish, but in honor of the Jewish New Year, leeks carry major symbolism. Why are they symbolic on our Rosh Hashanah seder table you ask? Well, the ancient Aramaic word for leeks is “karsi” sounds like the word “yikarsu” which means to “destroy” or “cut”. It’s pretty simple – in the prayer we say right after eating leeks, we ask G-D for protection against our enemies, that they should be “cut off” in the upcoming year. Pretty deep stuff for a humble allium.
But by all means, you can make this dish on Rosh Hashanah, or all year round, either with leeks or scallions. I mean, they’re basically cousins, so why not?
Scallion Pancakes, also known as “Cong You Bing“, is a staple in Chinese cuisine, more so in the appetizer category. Specifically, a savory, unleavened flatbread or pancake with sliced scallions/green onions (or in our case, sliced leeks) and sesame oil folded in. Traditionally, it’s made using a dough instead of a batter and pan-fried to give the pancake crispy edges and a soft chewy bite.
A twist on a classic
Well, I’m going outside of tradition just a tad with my own spin on this Leek Pancake to make it as easy-as-possible. How did I do that? Well, we’re making pancakes after all, so I went with a batter instead of a dough. And hey, it’s okay to experiment with these recipes! I’m a big believer in playing with your food and coming up with interesting alternatives. So I say go for it!
I also went gluten-free and low carb with this too, but feel free to use all-purpose flour instead, you might just end up with a crispier pancake than mine, but it’s still tasty. I was really going for a super-simple recipe for these pancakes – no intimidating dough to make here.
And finally, don’t forget the spicy dipping sauce – with HONEY, perfect for Rosh Hashanah, for instilling a sweet new year. The sauce brings the sweet, tangy and spicy component to compliment the pancake.
From us here at Meat Your Vegetables, wishing you a Kesiva V’chasima Tova – here’s to a sweet, happy, healthy and SAFE New Year, 5781!!
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Sugar, or sugar substitute
- 1 Leek, thoroughly cleaned and sliced into half-moon shape, or you use scallions/green onions Leeks are very sandy and dirty, so my trick is to cut off the dark green leafy end and cut off the root, then slice down the middle and into half-moon shapes. Fill a large bowl with water and soak the leeks for a few minutes. Using your hands to try and remove the grit. Then scoop the cleaned leeks into a colander to drain.
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups Almond Flour
- 1 tbsp. Sesame oil
- 3 tbsp. Unseasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp. Coconut Aminos Or use soy sauce or Tamari
- 1 tsp. Sambal Oelek Asian chili sauce
- 1/4 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes Optional, in case you want more of a punch of heat
- 1 tbsp. Honey You can use raw honey if you like, just make sure you dissolve it thoroughly into the sauce
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To make the pancakes, in a bowl, whisk the egg, salt, sugar, leeks (or scallions) and almond flour
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Slowly add in water in 3 batches and keep whisking the batter, the add sesame oil
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Let the batter rest for 5-10 min until thick
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While the batter is resting, make the spicy honey dipping sauce
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Whisk vinegar, coconut aminos, sambal, honey and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Taste and adjust flavors if needed
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Heat a non-stick saute pan over medium heat and drizzle a teaspoon of oil (I like to use avocado oil because it has a high heat point and is neutral-tasting, but you can use sesame oil too)
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Add 1/4 cup of the batter to the pan so you get a evenly round pancake shape
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Cook until you see bubbles forming on the edge, about 3 minutes per side
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Flip carefully with a spatula and cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown, but not burnt
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Repeat with the rest of the batter
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Once the pancakes are cooled, cut half and then into wedges, or cut into whatever shape you like to dip into that spicy dipping sauce!
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Serve the pancakes with the sauce and garnish with more sliced leeks or scallions and sesame seeds