We are celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month all through May. We recognize and are thankful for the many contributions, achievements, and influence the AAPI community has and continues to have on American history and culture. Each week we will be posting two fun educational ways to learn and celebrate members of the AAPI community. This week we are highlighting East Asian region.
Haemul Pajeon – Seafood & Green Onion Pancake
For my second culinary adventure, I headed to Eastern Asia, I decided to make pancakes! However, these are not your ordinary Mrs. Butterworth breakfast classics. In looking for instructions on how to make this savory Korean recipe, I saw Cook Korean! by Robin Ha. What initially drew me to this specific cookbook is that it is also a graphic novel. It starts with a beautiful story about the chef herself and her culinary journey. She eventually comes up with the idea of making a comic about making Korean food and has a fun character Dengki. Dengki (a character out of Robin Ha’s imagination) teaches you every recipe in this book!
So join Dengki and me, as she teaches me and I teach you, how to make this savory, crêpey, and delicious Haemul Pajeon – Seafood & Green Onion Pancake!
Kite Making
Dating back to 450BC, some of the earliest kites were created in China. Kites use to carry messages based on their shapes, pictures or other cultural symbols. Kites even had an essential function in military dealings. Today, kites are still used in ceremonial ways, but they are also used for entertainment purposes, from kite fighting to leisurely flying. Many countries like China and South Korea host annual kite events and festivals each year. From the colorful art to the intricate designs, South Asian Kites are a sight to behold. If you would like to try your hand at creating an East Asian-inspired, kite first check out this book, Asian Kites for Kids by Wayne Hosking on Hoopla for inspiration, then use the link below for simple instructions on different types of kite making. These instructions are courtesy of Tulsa Regional Stem Alliance.
Please feel free to share if you make one or both the Seafood & Green Onion Pancake or Kite. We would love to know how they turned out. You can share with us by commenting below, on our social media using #kckpl, or you can email us directly at cmcgee@kckpl.org or mwolford@kckpl.org. We look forward to sharing many more ways to celebrate AAPI Month with you all!
–Chantel & Maddie from Main Library