It was National Pancake Day a couple of weeks ago. My citizenship may be revoked for saying this, but I don’t actually like American-style pancakes. I’m a waffles over pancakes person. So, to celebrate the “holiday”, I decided to make some of my favorite Chinese scallion pancakes. They’re savory, thin, crispy, and delicious.
They’re also a great appetizer or side dish to a make-your-own-takeout night! I’m really into trying to make homemade Chinese food, or Korean food, Japanese, Thai, Indian, etc. Hopefully more posts will come for those recipes when I perfect the recipes.
We’re going to start by making a very simple dough. It’s similar to a dumpling dough. Then let it rest for about 30 minutes.
The dough will look a little dry, but don’t worry, that’s normal. It will become smooth throughout the process.
After the dough rests, we’re going to divide it into about 8 equal portions. And roll into balls. Let the balls rest for about 10 minutes.
Next comes the part where you’re probably like “really? Why do I have to roll them up like that?” I’m not sure if there is a scientific reason for it. But trust me, somehow they taste better and turn out better when you do this extra step.
So, we’re going to roll out the dough balls, then roll them up into a snake shape. Then twist them up until they resemble a cinnamon roll shape, like the picture below. We’re going to let these rolls rest for 5 minutes. The perfect amount of time to finely chop up a bunch of scallions (or green onions).
Then we’ll do the same rolling process over again, only this time with scallions inside the rolls.
Once rolled back up, we’ll do our third and final roll out of the dough rolls. this roll will need to be done gently so as not to squeeze out all of the scallions.
Once all your pancakes are rolled out, simply cook them in a skillet (a small drizzle of veggie oil and a few drops of sesame oil for flavor).
Chinese Scallion Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 6 green onions reserve 1 tablespoon of sliced onions for sauce
Dipping Sauce Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp sambal or your favorite chili paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp sliced green onion
Instructions
- Combine flour, boiling water (I use a tea kettle to boil water), and salt. Let the dough rest for about 20-30 minutes. Divide dough into eight equal portions and roll into balls.
- Roll out each dough ball. Brush each discs with sesame oil and roll into a snake shape. When rolled up in the snake, twist it together to resemble a cinnamon roll shape. See the pictures above for a visual.
- Let the oiled twists rest for about 5 minutes. While the rolls rest, thinly slice about 6 green onions (white and green parts).
- Roll out the dough into discs a second time. Add about 1 Tbsp of green onion on the disc and repeat the process of rolling the dough into a snake and then a cinnamon roll shape.
- Roll out into a disc a third and final time. You will want to gently roll them out this time so as not to roll out too many of the scallions.
- Heat a skillet with a drizzle of oil. Cook the pancakes in the skillet on medium heat until both sides are golden and crispy (a few minutes per side).
- Mix together the dipping sauce ingredients. I used some of the leftover green onions instead of slicing more.
- Serve to your friends or family while they’re hot!
