Recipes / Snacks / Chinese Snacks Scallion Pancakes Crisp, flaky savoury pancakes layered with spring onions, served with a sharp soy and vinegar dipping sauce.
Time 50 min
Serves 4
Difficulty Medium Ingredients Servings
Quantities for 4 servings
300 g plain flour, plus extra for rolling 1 tsp fine salt 180 ml just-boiled water 60 ml cold water 6 spring onions, finely sliced 2 tbsp sesame oil 3 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for frying 2 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp caster sugar 1 tsp chilli oil (optional)
Treat this list as a starting point rather than a shopping order. Swap what you haven't got, leave out what you dislike, add what you love — this is exactly the kind of dish that rewards poking around in the fridge.
Method 1 Mix the flour and salt in a bowl, then pour in the just-boiled water while stirring. Add the cold water and bring everything together into a shaggy dough; the two temperatures make it supple without making it sticky. 2 Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 20 minutes so the gluten relaxes and the dough rolls out without springing back. 3 Divide the dough into four pieces and keep three covered. Roll one piece into a very thin rectangle, brush it with sesame oil and scatter over a quarter of the spring onions, leaving a small border; the oil and onions create the flaky layers. 4 Roll the rectangle tightly from one long side into a rope, then coil the rope into a round, tucking the end underneath. Flatten it gently and roll it into a 16 cm round, pressing rather than stretching so the layers stay distinct. 5 Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Fry the pancake for 2–3 minutes on each side, turning when the underside is golden and the edges look crisp; lower the heat if the outside colours before the centre cooks. 6 Repeat with the remaining dough, adding a little more oil as needed. Keep the cooked pancakes on a rack rather than stacking them, because trapped steam softens the crust. 7 Stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and chilli oil, if using, until the sugar dissolves. Cut the pancakes into wedges while hot and serve with the dipping sauce. Tap a step to cross it off. Your place is saved on this device.
Cook’s notes The dough should feel soft but not wet. If it resists rolling, give it another 10 minutes covered; that is quicker than fighting it and tearing the layers.
For the flakiest pancakes, roll the filled coil firmly but do not squash it flat. Cook over medium heat rather than high heat so the centre has time to cook before the layers burn.
Cooked pancakes keep for 2 days in the fridge. Reheat them in a dry frying pan until hot and crisp; the microwave will warm them but leaves the pastry disappointingly floppy.
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