Crunchy Scallion Pancakes

These Scallion pancakes is one of my favourite Chinese pancake recipes. They are really easy to make. The crispy savory Chinese pancakes go very well with congee, curry and soup.

中文食譜按這裡

Serves : 4 pancakes

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups of plain flour
• 2 cups of chopped scallion (spring onions)
• 1/3 cup boiling hot water
• 2/3 cup room temperature water
• 6 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp of fine rock salt
• 4 tbsp of peanut oil or rice barn oil

Instructions

Put 1 cup of plain flour in a big bowl. Add about 1/3 cup of boiling hot water into the bowl gradually and keep stirring with a fork. Use the fork to press the flour together and make a hot dough. 

Add two more cups of plain flour onto the hot dough and gradually add about 2/3 cup of room temperature water. Do not add all the water in one go, or it may be too wet. Add gradually and keep stirring with a fork. Use the fork to mix and press the flour to form a bigger dough. Once most of the flour is wet and stick together, start to knead the dough with your hands.

You could feel the moist in the dough is uneven and there is still some dry flour in the bowl. Use one hand to turn the dough and another hand to knead the dough. The dough would be ready when there is no more dry flour left and the dough is consistent and smooth.

Cover the dough with a piece of cling film and a kitchen towel, and let it rest for an hour.

Chop about 2 cups of scallions and set aside. 

After an hour, dust the working table with flour and divide the dough evenly into 4 pieces. Keep 3 pieces covered in the bowl.

Put one dough on the working table and use a rolling pin to flatten it. Turn the dough and roll it in different directions to make it round till it is about 3 mm thick. 

Pour about 1.5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil on the flatten dough and use your hand to spread the oil evenly.

Clean your hand, then sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of fine rock salt or fine sea salt on the dough evenly. You could see if the salt is evenly sprinkled on the dough by looking at it in a lower angle in the light.

Then, sprinkle some chopped scallions on top. I like to put a lot of spring onions.

Afterwards, roll the flat dough up from one side to the other to form a roll.

Use both of your hands to push the air out  of the rolled up pancake from the middle toward the ends.

Then fold the two ends in and on top to form a dome. If you don’t know how to fold the dough, please check out the cooking video HERE.

Dust the working table and the dough with flour and use your palm to flatten the dome.  

Then use a rolling pin to flatten it into a 8 mm thick round pancake. Do not worry if scallions or oil come out.

Heat up a pan and add 1 tbsp of peanut oil or rice barn oil. Put the pancake inside. Start with medium high heat to brown both sides of the pancake, then turn down to low heat to cook it through.

Once the pancake is brown on both sides, start to shake and flap the pancake now and then inside the pan. This is to form layers inside the pancake. It takes at least five minutes to cook each pancake. The pancake should be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. 

I normally serve these pancakes with hot soup or curry. They are great snacks between meals too. 

Please check out the cooking video