One of our favorite street foods when visiting Shanghai were scallion pancakes. They were prepared by a young couple outside a storefront and I couldn’t get enough of them. As much as I tried, the language barrier was too much for me to get the recipe, so during our visit there and once returning to the states, I searched and tried many recipes to duplicate those delicious scallion pancakes. After mixing and matching, I finally came up with the following recipe (this takes some time, but well worth it):
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Cups of all purpose flour
- 3/4th tsp. kosher salt
- 3 Tblsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tsp baking powder
- 2 to 3 Scallions (green parts only), finely chopped
- Boiling water
- Oil, for frying
DIRECTIONS:
- Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
- Add the oil and 1 cup of the boiling water and mix until the dough comes together.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 6 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. If it’s not, continue kneading.
- Cover the dough with a cloth and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface with your hands into a long log. Divide the dough into 15 to 30 pieces, depending on how large you want them. I prefer 20 to 25 as they yield a size that is good for appetizers or as a side with your favorite Chinese dish.
- Roll out each piece into a circle on a floured surface. The size will depend on how large your dough piece is. Using my preferred method, you should roll out to 4 to 6 inches.
- Brush the dough piece with sesame oil and sprinkle some scallion on the surface. Roll the pancake up into a cylinder, crimping the ends to seal and starting with one end roll into a spiral. Let the spiral rolls rest for 30 minutes, covered with a cloth.
- On a floured surface, roll each spiral piece into a pancake again and set aside, repeating with the remaining dough pieces. Place the pancakes on a floured tray or plastic wrap. Put plastic wrap in between each layer of pancakes, cover with a cloth and let rest again for 30 minutes.
- Brush a frying pan with oil (I prefer a non stick pan for this) and begin frying. Cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side. They should be golden brown. Drain on paper towels.