Chinese Scallion Pancake Recipes

Steps:

• Place flour in a large bowl; stir in boiling water until dough forms a ball. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 4-6 minutes. Place in a large bowl; cover and let rest for 30 minutes., Divide dough into 8 portions; roll each portion into an 8-in. circle. Brush with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil; sprinkle with 1 heaping tablespoon of green onion and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Roll into a thin cylinder (jelly-roll style); starting at one end, twist cylinder onto itself forming a coil, pinching to seal. Flatten slightly. Roll each coil to 1/8-in. thickness., In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil. Over medium-high heat, cook 1 pancake at a time until golden brown, 2-3 minutes on each side., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Serve with pancakes.

Steps:

• Oil a large mixing bowl and set aside.
• In a separate large bowl, mix together flour and water until a smooth dough forms. If the dough is sticky, add more flour and mix again.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Place the dough in the greased mixing bowl and turn until it is lightly covered with oil. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Flour your work surface again and roll out the rested dough. Divide the dough in half, then roll each half into a 1" thick cylinder. With a pastry scraper or knife, slice the dough into 2" segments. Dust your rolling pin with flour and roll out each segment into a 5" circle.
• Lightly brush the top of each circle with peanut oil, about 2 tablespoons total for all the pancakes. Sprinkle with scallions and salt.
• Roll up each circle into another cylinder, making sure the scallions stay in place.
• Coil the dough so that it resembles a snail.
• With the rolling pin, flatten again into disks about ¼ inch thick. Place the rolled-out pancakes on a plate and repeat with the remaining dough. Can freeze the dough for future use.
• Heat a nonstick saute pan over high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Working in batches, pan-fry the pancakes until golden brown. Press down puffed up sides or middle with the spatula, if necessary.
• Transfer the pancakes to a plate, cut into wedges, and serve with chili sauce, soy sauce or vinegar on the side.

Steps:

• Combine bread flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in hot water. Mix together with a wooden spoon to form a shaggy dough.
• Transfer dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until sticky but relatively smooth and elastic, dusting with a minimal amount of flour if needed. Wrap in plastic wrap and let dough rest for 2 hours.
• Mix vegetable oil, sesame oil, and flour together in a skillet over medium heat until starting to bubble, about 3 minutes. Cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Unwrap dough and cut in half. Roll out into a tube and press down with your fingers. Use a rolling pin to flatten dough into a rectangular shape about 1/8-inch thick, flipping over and dusting lightly with flour halfway through.
• Paint surface of the dough with the oil mixture until just covered, leaving 1 inch of space on the edges. Sprinkle scallions on top. Roll dough up tightly to seal in the scallions, starting with the long side. Pull the opposite edge over the top once you have reached it.
• Coil 1 end of the dough inward toward the middle; wrap the opposite end around the coil to finish, tucking the tip under the bottom. Dust the coil with flour and roll dough out into a pancake about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough, oil, and green onions to make the second pancake.
• Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add 1 pancake; lower heat to medium. Cook until crispy and browned, about 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the other pancake. Cut into wedges.

Steps:

• Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a bowl. Add 1 cup flour; stir dough with a spatula.
• Mix the remaining 1 cup flour, hot water, 2 tablespoons oil, and salt together in a separate bowl until dough-like in texture. Add the dough from step 1; knead together into a round ball, dusting with flour as needed. Place dough ball on a lightly floured work surface; cover with a warm, damp towel for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Pinch dough ball into 2 pieces. Roll each out and sprinkle half the scallions on top. Roll up each piece into a tube; pinch each in half. Roll and flatten into large pancakes, dusting with flour, if needed.
• Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook pancakes until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Steps:

• Mix flour and 1 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl; pour in boiling water and quickly mix together until water is absorbed. Work cold water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, into flour mixture just until dough forms. Knead dough for 10 minutes. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let dough rest for 40 minutes.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface; divide into 4 equal pieces.
• Roll 1 piece of dough into a large thin round; brush the top with vegetable oil and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 the green onions. Pick up 1 end of the round and roll dough around green onions into a long scroll-shape. Take 1 scroll end and roll dough into a disk. Repeat with remaining dough, letting each disk rest for 10 minutes.
• Heat about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Place 1 disk on a floured surface and roll into a 1/2-inch thick round; cook in the hot oil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining disks.

Steps:

• In a medium heatproof bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. Pour in the boiling water, quickly mixing everything together with a wooden spoon until the flour absorbs all the water. It will look a bit dry and flaky. Stir in the cold water. A dough should form and begin to pull away from the side of the bowl. If needed, add more cold water a teaspoon at a time. The dough should not be sticky, but dry to the touch.
• Dust a work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary, 3 to 5 minutes. Lightly cover the dough with a clean damp cloth or plastic bag and let it rest for 1 hour.
• Redust the work surface with flour and knead the rested dough for a few minutes, or until it is smooth. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll into balls. Cover three of them with the damp cloth or plastic, then use a floured rolling pin to roll the fourth into a 7-inch round. Cover the round with the damp cloth or plastic, then roll out the remaining three pieces, keeping any unused dough well covered while you work.
• Brush each round very lightly with the sesame oil and sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a quarter of the minced scallions. Tightly roll each circle into a fat rope, then tightly coil each rope so that it looks like a snail's shell, pinching the end of the rope into the bun so that it seals. Cover the rounds with the damp cloth or plastic wrap, and let them rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Redust your work surface with flour and roll each cake out with a floured rolling pin into a 7-inch round. Set aside to fry when the oil is ready. Or, refrigerate in an airtight container dusted with flour for up to 1 day. Let the chilled dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes before frying. You can also stack the rolled dough between parchment paper, wrap tightly in plastic, seal in a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze for a few weeks. Unwrap and let them come to room temperature, about 15 minutes, before you fry them.
• Line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels. Heat the oil in a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over medium until it is hot but not smoking. Working carefully, as the oil will spatter, add a scallion cake to the bottom of the pan using a metal spatula or tongs, and let it fry until golden brown on the bottom, just a minute or two. Carefully flip the cake over and fry until the other side is golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute more. As it fries, adjust the heat to maintain a steady sizzle and lightly press the center of the cake with a metal spatula to make sure the center is cooked through, being careful of oil spatters. Alternatively, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high and pan-fry a round of dough until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. When the cake is done, transfer it to the paper towels and fry the three remaining cakes, adding 1 tablespoon oil per cake if pan-frying.
• Sprinkle the scallion cakes with a little more salt, cut them into 6 to 8 wedges, and serve them immediately.