Chinese Green Onion Pancakes
Growing up, I loved eating Chinese Green Onion Pancakes, otherwise known as 蔥油餅. We would order them as appetizers whenever we went to my favorite Chinese cafe, and my brother and I would fight for the last oily, crispy slice of scallion-filled dough. But I never thought I’d be able to make my own green onion pancakes, mainly because I’m a by-the-book kind of gal and I dreaded asking any of my improvising relatives (who are absolutely phenomenal in the kitchen, by the way) for a cooking lesson.
And then along came the Internet, and a tiny ray of hope crept into my windowless, pancake-less existence. I still remember the first time I Googled “Chinese green onion pancakes” back in 2012 and spending hours scouring recipes until I came across one from Rasa Malasia that reminded me exactly of the pancakes we used to eat back home. After an hour of following her recipe (measurements! instructions! exactness!), I ended up with a beautiful batch of these savory, crispy fried bites. The heavens opened. Choirs sang. A few ancient Chinese ancestors might have swooped by my kitchen and given me a high-five at my recipe success.
Chinese Green Onion Pancakes
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 5-7 stalks green onions, with stems trimmed and greens cut into fine slices
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Gradually add water, stirring between each 1/4 cup addition until dough comes together.
- Knead dough for approximately 10-15 minutes, until smooth and shiny. Be careful not to overknead--your dough should still retain some good elasticity but no longer be sticky.
- Place dough back in mixing bowl, cover with damp towel, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide dough into 10-12 small 1-inch balls.
- Roll out each ball gently with a rolling pin (or using your hands) until you have a flat, round disc. Brush with a thin layer of sesame oil, then sprinkle a pinch of green onion slices evenly on top of the disc. Roll up disc from one end until dough forms a thin log.
- "Snake" the log into a coil shape, then flatten into a round disc again using rolling pin (or hands).
- Once you've rolled out your entire batch, heat up your wok with a shallow layer of oil. Shallow-fry each side of a pancake for approximately 1-2 minutes, or until golden. Flip, fry the other side, and transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain excess oil.
- Slice, serve hot, and enjoy!
Comments
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Can one use thawed pizza dough for these even though there is yeast in it. Gotta try it soon.