Green Onion Pancake and Avocado Rolls
Thank you, California Avocados, for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own!
If the last few recipes I’ve posted here on the blog are any indication, I’m fully embracing quick, low-effort, high-flavor impact meals lately. Not that I haven’t always loved a good, easy meal, but lately I’ve been cooking so much for my next cookbook and other fun projects, that whenever I find something truly effortless and delicious it just sticks with me. I’ve been writing about my family a lot for my cookbook (typical) and I remembered a snack my mom would make us all the time when we needed something heartier than potato chips. She would take out a package of frozen green onion pancakes, fry them up and stuff them with fried eggs, or cucumber and hoisin, and roll them up! It was a very simple version of the Beef Stuffed Green Onion Pancake Rolls you find at restaurants. I loved them so much. They were satisfying and easy to hold on to while playing video games as a kid.
I revisited this beloved snack recently. 2021 Kristina would have made fresh green onion pancakes, like the recipe in my first cookbook, but 2022 Kristina is heavily reliant on frozen green onion pancakes. I fried some pancakes up until crispy and golden brown, then stuffed them with ripe, fresh California Avocado, a smear of hoisin, crisp cucumber, and a small bundle of cilantro. It is so fresh and flavorful! I love the contrast of textures from the crispy pancake, creamy avocado, and crunchy cucumber. The sweet and salty hoisin ties everything together and dunking the rolls into a little extra hoisin on the side doesn’t hurt either.
I live in California, so I pretty much always have a bowl of avocados on the counter ready to add into whatever meal I’m preparing. I love that they are a super food and so delicious! One of the many perks of living in California are the gorgeous California Avocados and how bountiful they are! The best avocados have California in them! They’re picked at their peak, spring through summer and since they are grown so close to home I can enjoy them at their freshest!To ensure you’re enjoying locally grown California avocados, look for California on the label and grab some to make these Green Onion Pancake Avocado Rolls!
Green Onion Pancake Avocado Rolls
Serves 4
Prep Time: 10
Cooking Time: 5
4 tsp olive oil, divided
4 frozen green onion pancakes
4 tsp hoisin, divided
1 ripe, Fresh California Avocado, seeded, peeled and cut into thick slices
4 cucumber spears
1 cup cilantro, torn
In a large frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the frozen pancake to the pan and cook until golden brown, flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat with remaining pancakes and add another teaspoon of oil for each pancake.
Place one pancake on a cutting board and smear a teaspoon of hoisin over the center of the pancake. Place a spear of cucumber, 2 to 3 slices of California Avocado, and a 1/4 cup (small bundle) of cilantro in the center. Tightly roll everything up in the pancake. Slice into 4 pieces with a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining pancakes and filling. Serve immediately.