How To Make Savory Scallion Pancakes

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Scallion pancakes are a delicious, savory, fried flatbread. This recipe calls for minimal amounts of oil and is bursting with green onions! Serve with stir fried veggies or your favorite Chinese dish.

If you ever find yourself in Boston, I recommend you go to the Windsor Dim Sum Cafe. Now, I’m not an expert in what constitutes good Chinese food, but this was my favorite Dim Sum place when we lived there. It was also the first place I ever had scallion pancakes! And they were absolutely delicious.

When we moved back to Phoenix, I took my husband to a local Dim Sum place that was okay, but their scallion pancakes left something to be desired. They were fried in a lot of oil and weren’t as flatbread-like as the ones I came to love. So I decided to give it a go and make some myself!

INGREDIENTS

• 4.5 cups flour
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 4 bunches chopped scallions (green onions)
• Additional flour for your surface
• Additional salt in a shaker (I recommend kosher or sea salt)
• 4.5 Tbsp Peanut oil, Canola oil, or Vegetable oil (You may need more than this, but this was the minimum amount of oil I was able to get away with using the most recent time I made this)

If you have two frying pans or a large skillet that would fit two pancakes, that is ideal as it will help expedite the frying process, which can take a while. I highly recommend listening to an audiobook as you make these, since it takes some time to fry so many! Alternatively, you can cut the recipe in half and make fewer and/or larger pancakes.

This recipe makes 16 pancakes. It takes some time to fry things, so I make a bunch and freeze my leftovers so I can enjoy them later.

DIRECTIONS

Step 1. Mix your flour and salt in a bowl. Create a well in the center of your flour mixture, and add 2 cups warm water (I warm the water in the microwave for 30-60 seconds depending on how hot your microwave is) and 1 Tbsp sesame oil to the well. Using a clean hand, gently mix the liquid and dry ingredients until a soft dough is formed. Don’t knead the dough. Cover/wrap the dough in saran wrap for 30 minutes. While your dough is resting, chop up your scallions.

Step 2: I like making my scallion pancakes thin and small in diameter (fewer calories and carbs per serving), even though this means they might not turn out as pretty- (green onions will spill out) or authentic-looking. So I divide my dough into 16 pieces (divide the dough in half four times). You may need to dust each ball in some flour to keep them from being too sticky. From there, I cover the dough in saran wrap so it stays soft:

Step 3: Flour your surface and the surface of your dough as needed, if it’s very sticky, and roll out your dough very thin. Brush it lightly (emphasis on lightly) with your oil.

Step 4: Add your scallions on top and sprinkle some salt on the surface (I recommend kosher or sea salt) to taste.

Step 5: Roll your dough into a log shape, with the scallions inside…

…And then spiral that dough…

…Before rolling your pancake out flat.

Step 6: Brush the surface of a flat frying pan lightly with your oil (I use a silicone basting brush) and fry your pancake until it is a golden brown or a bit darker. Flip the pancake over and cook the other side. Traditionally, these might require more oil for frying than I use (and normally, the green onions don’t spill out the way I let mine), but I try to keep the oil use to a minimum. As you can see in the picture below, there is hardly any oil in that pan.

And you’re done! Well, you’re done with this pancake. There are 15 more to do. If you can do two at a time in a large pan or in two pans, that would help expedite the frying process. As you fry these, I recommend placing a paper towel between each pancake to help absorb excess oil.

Here’s what the whole stack looks like when they’re finished:

Nutrition Information: This makes 16 pancakes that are about 170 calories each. Each pancake also contains 27 grams of carb, 5.1g of Fat, and 3.6 g of protein.

Are these super authentic? No idea.

Do they look how they’re supposed to? Sort of.

Are they delicious anyway? You bet!

If you find you’re as addicted to these as I am, I recommend freezing what you don’t eat so you can enjoy them later. Simply separate each pancake with a paper towel (if you haven’t already) and place them into a freezer ziplock bag or tupperware container.

You Might Also Enjoy:

• Easy Onion Herb Focaccia Bread
• Oriental Ramen Noodle Cabbage Salad
• Healthy Whole Wheat Apple Carrot Muffins