Among all savory pancakes I’ve tried around Asia, my favorite is still the Chinese scallion pancake. What is it exactly?
Unleavened bread stuffed with scallions and pan fried. It is popular as street food in many parts of Asia including Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.
Chinese Scallion Pancakes
Scallion pancakes can be made in many ways. Some procedures are simple while others are fancy. Some recipes include brushing the flattened dough with sesame oil before the scallions are added. Others require deep-frying. This recipe is for home cooking.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
- ¾ cup finely sliced scallions (dark green portion only)
- cooking oil for frying
Instructions
- Stir the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the sesame seed oil and a cup of newly-boiled water. Mix until everything comes together to form a ball.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by hand for about fifteen minutes (or 10 minutes in a stand mixer using a dough hook). The dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for half an hour.
- Roll out the dough into a log and cut ten equal pieces.
- Take one piece and, with a rolling pin, form into a flat thin circle about seven inches in diameter.
- Spread a tablespoonful or two of sliced scallions on the flattened dough.
- Starting at the edge nearest you, roll the dough outward to form a “cigar”, pressing lightly to make the dough longer and thinner.
- Lift one end of the rolled dough and swirl to form a coil.
- Flatten the coil with a rolling pin to a thickness of about a quarter inch.
- Repeat until all the dough pieces have been filled, rolled, coiled and flattened.
- Heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of about a quarter inch.
- Over MEDIUM heat, fry the pancakes, two or three at a time, until golden brown in spots.
- Flip halfway through the cooking to brown the other side as well.
- Important: add more oil to the pan before frying the next batch of pancakes.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Cut the scallion pancakes into wedges and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
Updated from a recipe originally published in my other blog in July 15, 2009.
