Chinese Scallion Pancakes
Chinese scallion pancakes are thin, crispy and flaky with good savory onion flavor. They seem like something difficult to make but they are surprisingly easy.
Equipment
- Bowl
- Wooden spoon or whisk
- Plastic wrap
- Skillet
- Cutting board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅔-¾ cup hot water
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 bunch spring or green onions, finely sliced
- Seasoning of choice: Chinese 5 spice, black pepper, hot chili flakes, cumin etc.
- Oil for shallow frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine all purpose flour and salt. Gradually add the hot water to form a stiff, kneadable dough. Knead for about 1 minute until it comes together. Cover well with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight for best results. Otherwise you can let it rest for 15-60 minutes.
- After resting, knead dough for 1 minute. Divide into 6 portions. The dough should be very smooth and silky. Each portion will be 1 pancake. Cover with plastic while making the roux.
- For the roux, in a small frying pan, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil. In a small bowl combine the 2 teaspoons of all purpose flour with the hot oil and mix together until smooth.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough out into an oblong rectangle shape of about 12x3 inches. Brush some of the flour/oil mixture onto the surface then sprinkle with spring onions and seasoning of choice, if using. Starting from long end of the rectangle, roll the dough sheet up jelly roll style into a tight log. Now from one end, roll the opposite way into a coil. Tuck the remaining end underneath the coil. Now on a lightly floured surface, roll this coil out into a 7-8 inch pancake. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
- Heat a skillet with about ¼ inch of oil. Fry each pancake for about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Cut pancakes into wedges and serve hot.