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Restaurant-Worthy Chinese Scallion Pancakes You Can Make at Home

scallion pancakes on a white and blue plate
Prep Time
14 min
Cook Time
30 min
Yields
6 pancakes

The secret ingredient to making these savoury Chinese scallion pancakes worthy of appearing on a menu? Boiling water! It creates the softest, forgiving dough. Plus, the beauty of this recipe lies within a super easy, double roll and coil technique to produce endless, flaky layers, that are so crispy — we’re obsessed!

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ingredients

Dough

2
cups all-purpose flour
½
cup cake and pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1
tsp salt
1
cup boiling water
¼
cup cold water
6
Tbsp vegetable oil for frying

Filling

2
Tbsp all-purpose flour
¼
cup melted lard or melted shortening
3
Tbsp vegetable oil
1
tsp salt
6
scallions, finely chopped
1
tsp crushed Szechuan peppercorns or hot pepper flakes (optional)

Dipping Sauce

1
Tbsp soy sauce
1
Tbsp Chinkiang vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1
tsp toasted sesame seeds or julienned ginger (optional)
Pinch granulated sugar
1
scallion, finely chopped
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directions

Notes

This recipe requires 30 minutes rest time.

Scallion pancakes ingredients
Step 1

To make the dough: stir together the all-purpose flour, pastry flour and salt in a large bowl. Using a fork, gradually mix in the boiling water in a circular motion. Stir in the cold water to form a shaggy, wet dough. Turn out onto work surface; knead, scraping and dusting with additional flour until smooth and very soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Place on floured surface and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to prevent crust from forming. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Note: The combination of boiling water produces a soft, easy to roll pancake, while the cold water creates a chewy texture, while also cooling the mixture for easy handling.

Person mixing scallion pancakes dough
Step 2

Meanwhile, make the filling: in a small bowl, stir the flour, lard, oil and salt until combined. Gently warm in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds to loosen if mixture solidifies. While you’re waiting for the dough to rest, you can also make the dipping sauce: in a ramekin, stir together soy sauce, vinegar, sesame seeds, sugar and scallion.

Step 3

Divide dough into 6 even pieces and roll each into a ball, tucking at the bottom and then covering with a kitchen towel. Roll one ball into an 8 to 9-inch circle, dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Using a pastry brush, paint a thin layer of the filling. Roll up like a jelly roll and twist into a tight spiral, tucking the end underneath. Flatten with hand then roll again into 8-inch circle. Cover with kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough.

Tip: To prevent drying out, be sure to cover each rolled dough with a damp cloth or plastic and don’t layer each on top of each other, they will stick together.

Scallion pancakes dough on countertop
Step 4

Working with one rolled dough, brush a thin layer of the filling and sprinkle with 1/6 of the scallions and Szechuan pepper (if using). Roll up like a jelly roll and twist into a tight spiral, tucking the end underneath. Flatten with hand then roll into 6-inch circle and cover with a kitchen towel. This is now ready for frying. Repeat with remaining dough.

Scallion pancakes being made on kitchen countertop
Step 5

Heat a skillet over medium heat; add 1 Tbsp of the vegetable oil. Carefully add one pancake and cook, swirling to distribute oil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, swirling pancake to absorb oil and cover with a lid. Cook until second side is an even golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, adding more oil as needed. Transfer to a paper-towel lined serving plate and repeat with remaining dough and cooking oil.

Scallion pancakes rolled out on countertop
Step 6

To serve, don’t cut into wedges, these pancakes need to be torn to fully enjoy the flaky coating. Don’t forget the dipping sauce.

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