My love for scallion pancakes dates back to my childhood. My dad and mom would buy packages of premade scallion pancakes in the freezer section of Asian supermarkets in Brooklyn and Manhattan and pop them into the freezer once they got home. Our family went through our stock of scallion pancakes fairly quickly. It was our go-to breakfast, afternoon snack, lunch, and dinner. We would toast the scallion pancakes one at a time in our small toaster oven and wait anxiously for the ding sound (which told us the scallion pancake was ready for devouring). I went through a phase where I would eat package after package of scallion pancakes within the span of a month. Sometimes, I would make a quick omelet and sandwich it between two pieces of scallion pancakes. When I moved to college in the Midwest, I still loved the convenience of the store-bought scallion pancakes. My roommate and close friend, Annie, would ask her mom to take us grocery shopping once a month. Once I got to the supermarket, I head straight for the freezer section to pick up a few packages of scallion pancakes. When I ran out, I would go to Asian Legend on campus and order a round of scallion pancake wrapped sliced beef as an appetizer. The warm, flaky, oniony pancakes always satisfied my strongest of cravings. When I moved to Ohio, I missed the ease of access I had to those nostalgic scallion pancakes. It didn’t take too long before I started to make my own version. My version uses a basic combination of flour, salt, oil, and water. I played around with the proportions and over time, my favorite scallion pancakes were born. This week, I had one of those intense cravings for scallion pancakes and ended up making a double batch of my scallion pancakes recipe. The process of making the dough, letting it rest, and rolling out the pancakes individually takes some patience, but the end result is definitely worth it. I typically served my scallion pancakes with a soy vinegar dip, but this time around, I put a spin on my usual dip by adding some thinly sliced scallions and finely chopped cilantro for added freshness and flavor. I started serving my scallion pancakes with a soy vinegar dip after I had made extra dip for some pork potstickers and realized the dip paired equally well with scallion pancakes. My family has bonded over scallion pancakes on multiple occasions. In fact, when Kevin and I travel to New York to visit them, we stop by Joe’s Shanghai for soup dumplings (xiao long bao), Shanghai noodles, and scallion pancakes. Whenever I make scallion pancakes or Shanghai noodles, I am always transported back to the wonderful days I get to spend with my family connecting over good food.
For the scallion pancakes:
· 3½ cups all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading and rolling dough
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1½ cups hot water (about 160°F)
· 3 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
· 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
· 3 stalks scallions, very thinly sliced
For the cilantro scallion soy vinegar dip:
· 3 tablespoons soy sauce
· ½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar
· ½ tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar
· 1 stalk scallion, thinly sliced
· 6 sprigs fresh cilantro, stems trimmed and finely chopped.
Directions:
1) In a large bowl, combine the flour and kosher salt. Use a mixing spoon to stir the flour and kosher salt as you gradually add hot water. Stir the flour mixture and water until a dough forms. Knead the dough using one hand for about 3 minutes until you have a smooth dough. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil to coat the dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes before you begin rolling out the pancakes. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
2) Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the stalks of scallions on a cutting board. Divide the sliced scallions into nine portions. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix the remaining two teaspoons of sesame oil with three tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once the dough is ready, divide the dough into nine pieces. Add flour to your working surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough into a flat round circle. Brush on a thin coat of oil mixture. Add a sprinkle of sliced scallions. Roll the flattened dough into a log. Twist the log into a circle. Use your rolling pin to flatten the circle into a pancake shape. Repeat the process for the remaining dough pieces.
3) Heat a large frying pan on medium heat. Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Fry three scallion pancakes at a time until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining vegetable oil and pancakes. Let the pancakes stand for about a minute before serving.
4) To make the dipping sauce, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Chinkiang vinegar, scallion, and cilantro in a small bowl. Serve with pancakes.
Takeaways: The scallion pancakes pair nicely with omelets. They also freeze very well. I typically make a large batch and freeze them to fry up on days when I get intense cravings for scallion pancakes.