A Dish Passed Down by Generations - Egg Scallion Pancake （蔥蛋翠軟薄餅）

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp of sugar
• ½ tsp of salt
• A few drops of rice wine
• 3 sticks of scallion

Instructions:

1. Scramble eggs and mix in the flour and water; make sure the flour is fully dissolved and the final batter should be fairly watery
2. Mix in chopped scallions, salt, sugar and Shanghainese rice wine
3. Add ½ teaspoon of oil to frying pan and heat up over medium heat
4. When the oil is hot, add 2-3 tablespoons of batter to the frying pan while twirling the pan; the batter should be thinly spread across the cooking surface in a layer about 1-2 millimeters thick
5. Carefully flip over after about 1 minute (or when the pancake solidifies, and the cooked side is crispy and golden yellow)
6. If the pancake is burning too quickly, then slightly turn down the heat
7. Remove the pancake after another minute
8. Repeat steps #1-9 to cook another pancake

Twice a year, I would travel to Denver to see my grandparents on my father's side, both of whom were originally from China. Every time I saw them, my grandpa would make 蔥蛋翠軟薄餅 (egg scallion pancakes) for the whole family, making sure everyone got at least three pancakes before they left the table. Since this dish comes from my ancestors in Ningbo –– a small city in China –– despite never going there, every time I eat 蔥蛋翠軟薄餅, I feel connected to my ancestry and culture.

While the dish may at first look like a typical scrambled egg, the taste and texture of it are completely different. While a scrambled egg is soft, 蔥蛋翠軟薄餅 is crunchy on the outsides and soft on the inside. The scallions give the dish a sharp aromatic flavor of onions but are slightly milder. This is what made Sunday mornings with my grandparents so special — being able to smell the warm fragrance of a 蔥蛋翠軟薄餅 currently cooking. Additionally, the few drops of rice wine give the dish a mixed aroma and taste. Having a slightly vinegary and complex flavor, rice wine is a very common ingredient in Chinese cooking.

When I asked my grandpa for the recipe, he was ecstatic that I was interested in the dish and wanted to share it with others.

Even now, my grandpa still makes this dish for us, and he has passed it down through generations. What was once the recipe of my grandpa, was bestowed upon my father, and is now entrusted to my siblings and me. Although we may not be able to perfect it the same way our grandpa does, my siblings and I always carefully observe how he makes his pancakes, so that one day, we can make them for our children too. 蔥蛋翠軟薄餅 has become a dish for everyone in the family to make for one another on special days.