Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 500 g all-purpose flour (4 cups, measured by spoon and level method)
- 1 ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 240 mL boiling water (1 cup)
- 100 – 120 mL room temperature water (6 – 8 tbsp)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (plus extra for coating dough and cooking pancakes)
Filling and Oil Paste
- 1 ½ cups finely sliced scallions
- 100 g all-purpose flour (scant 1 cup)
- 100 g vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp roasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp 5 spice powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt (generous ½ tsp)
- ¼ tsp finely ground Szechuan peppercorn (optional)
Dipping Sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp black vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp chili oil (or sesame oil)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped scallions
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped red chili (deseeded, optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the boiling water while stirring with a fork or spoon to form small flour clumps. Then gradually add the room temperature water to moisten all flour and form a rough dough. Cover and rest with plastic wrap for 45 minutes until soft but not sticky.
- Knead the Dough: Remove the dough and knead it on a clean surface for a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Avoid adding excess flour to prevent dryness. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions, roll each into smooth balls, coat lightly with vegetable oil, cover and rest for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge.
- Prepare the Scallions and Oil Paste: Finely slice the light and dark green parts of scallions, discarding white ends. In a small bowl, mix flour, 5 spice powder, salt, and optional ground Szechuan peppercorns. Pour vegetable oil and roasted sesame oil into this mixture and stir to form a paste. Optionally, infuse oil with scallion whites and spices by heating gently before straining into the flour mix.
- Shape the Pancakes: Take one dough ball, stretch or roll it out on a floured surface to about 1-2 mm thickness. Spread 1 – 1.5 tbsp of the sesame oil paste evenly on the dough and sprinkle with chopped scallions. Roll the dough like a cinnamon roll, then stretch gently and coil it into a tight spiral. Tuck the end underneath and press to seal. Place coil on oiled tray, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Cook the Pancakes: Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and lightly oil it. Roll out each coiled dough into a pancake approximately 6-8 inches in diameter depending on preferred thickness. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, crispy outside, and cooked through. Adjust heat as needed to avoid burning.
- Prepare the Dipping Sauce: In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, honey, chili oil, scallions, sesame seeds, and red chili. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water if needed to adjust consistency.
- Serve: Enjoy scallion pancakes warm with the dipping sauce on the side.
Notes
- Use boiling water initially to partially cook the flour, resulting in a soft tender dough.
- Do not over-flour or over-knead the dough to maintain the chewy texture.
- Resting the dough both before shaping and after coiling improves gluten development and pancake flakiness.
- Adjust the pancake thickness and cooking time based on personal preference.
- Optional Szechuan peppercorn adds subtle numbing flavor but can be omitted.
- For extra flavor, infuse the oil paste with aromatics like white scallion parts or star anise.
- Cook pancakes on medium heat to get a crispy outside while avoiding burning.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
