Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How To Make Tom Douglas' 'Cheater's' Green Onion Pancakes

Aaron Hushagen
Tom's salt & pepper shrimp with "cheater's" onion pancake

In this second installment of highlights from our Food for Thought Happy Hour event, we turn to Tom Douglas and his "cheap" green onion pancakes.

The Seattle chef's quickie version of the Chinese favorite starts with "cheap flour tortillas" which are painted with egg mixed with a little sesame oil, then sprinkled with minced green onions and sesame seeds. Fold, press down — or as Douglas says," Stand on it" — and give it a quick fry. 

"That's not the way I make them," I pointed out. "I use a yeast dough."

"Oh? Does that come in a can?" Douglas innocently inquired.  

His "Cheater's" pancakes really are quite crispy-good and about one-tenth the work. But if you'd like to give the more authentic variety a try, here's  a real-deal green onion pancake recipe.

All of our guest chefs — Holly Smith of Cafe Juanita, Thierry Rautureau of Luc and Loulay, and Tom Douglas —have been winners on TV's "Iron Chef" cooking contest show. Still, Douglas never tires of twitting Thierry for the time he slipped up in his preparation of the iconic French sandwich, the croque monsieur.

"He choked on the croque."

– Tom Douglas

Dick Stein joined KNKX in January 1992. He retired in 2020 after three decades on air. During his storied radio career, he hosted the morning jazz show, co-hosted and produced "Food for Thought" with Nancy Leson and wrote and directed the Jimmy Jazzoid live radio musical comedies and 100 episodes of Jazz Kitchen.