Chinese Spring Onion Pancakes Recipes

QUICK CHINESE SCALLION PANCAKES (VEGAN)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, water, sesame oil and salt using a whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• In the meantime, wash and finely chop the scallions, discarding the roots and the tips of the green tops. Using your fingers, quickly break apart the chopped scallions to separate out the layers. Mix into the batter.
• Heat about 2 teaspoons of oil in large frying pan (I use one that is 10-inch / 25-cm) on medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, swirl the oil around so it coats the pan. Quickly ladle on the batter in the shape of a ring, then immediately use a spatula to spread the batter to fill the ring, and to spread the batter outward to make the pancake into a circle (I use about 3/4 cup of batter for each pancake on a 10-inch pan). The batter will cook quickly on the hot pan, so just spread it around as much as you can. Cook the pancake for about 4 minutes, periodically lifting the pancake up to check if the bottom has browned. When the scallion pancake has browned on the bottom, lift the pancake up with a spatula, quickly add a bit more oil to the pan, and flip the pancake. Cook for another 4-5 minutes until the bottom is browned. Remove from heat and set on a oil absorbing paper (or paper towel) to remove the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining batter. Using 2 frying pans simultaneously will speed up the cooking process.
• Serve immediately.

CHINESE SCALLION PANCAKES

Steps:

• Mix salt with all purpose flour.
• Prepare a large mixing bowl. Dig a small hole in center and then pour the hot water in. Wait for 10 minutes and then stir in the cold water and vegetable oil. Grasp everything to form a ball, cover and rest for 5 minutes and then knead until very smooth (around 3-5 minutes ). The dough should be quite soft. Cover the rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
• After resting, the dough should be quite easy to roll out. Divide the large dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a large around circle. Brush some oil, sprinkle Chinese five spice power and chopped scallion (leave the 1 cm of the edge empty).
• Roll up the circle into a cylinder. And further roll into the shape of a snail. Cover with wet cloth and rest for 10 to 15 minutes.Roll the snail out to another thin circle.
• Brush some cooking oil on the pan and move the circle into the pan. Use middle fire to pan-fry until the surface becomes brown around 2-3 minutes. And turn over to fry for another 1 to 2 minutes. Use a spatula to press the circle from time and time especially the central part to ensure the circle is evenly fried.
• Remove the circle out and cut into wedges.

CHINESE SPRING ONION PANCAKES

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine finely chopped spring onions and Chinese green onion with sesame oil and white pepper (if using). Set aside.
• Measure out plain flour into a large bowl. Sprinkle 3/4 tbsp olive oil over the surface. Drizzle a little water over the surface of the flour (do not be tempted to pour), no more than 2 tbsp of water each time. Using a pair of chopsticks (do not use your hands), start mixing the flour with the oil and water. [mv_img id="1374"]
• Keep drizzling roughly the same amount of water into areas of loose flour, mixing until it has been absorbed, before drizzling more. The flour will increasingly become curdled and resemble scrambled eggs. Keep scraping flour off the sides of the bowl back into the dough mixture. [mv_img id="1376"]
• Repeat until all the loose flour has been absorbed, including the bits of flour sticking to the sides and bottom of the bowl. Once the dough begins to come together, and no longer sticks to the sides and bottom of the bowl, do not add any more water even if you have not used all of it. At this point, use lightly floured hands to gather the dough into a ball in the centre of the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth. Set aside, covered, for 30 minutes. After the required time, divide the dough into two equal portions. [mv_img id="1377"]
• On a lightly floured surface, using flour-dusted hands, lightly knead one portion for about half a minute or so, until the dough is smooth and springy to the touch. [mv_img id="1380"]
• Gather back into a ball. [mv_img id="1381"]
• Roll out into a large, round dough sheet about 3-mm in thickness (lightly dust your counter surface with flour wherever dough starts to stick). [mv_img id="1383"]
• Pour 1 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil in the centre of the dough sheet. [mv_img id="1384"]
• Using both hands, bring in sections of the dough from the edges (perimeter) towards the centre, one section at a time. [mv_img id="1386"]
• Without letting go, dab lightly on the oil to coat the overlapping surfaces, and return the section to the perimeter. [mv_img id="1385"]
• Repeat this all around, until the entire surface area of the dough sheet is evenly coated with oil. [mv_img id="1387"]
• Sprinkle half of the sea salt, evenly, all over the oiled dough sheet. Spread half of the filling in an even layer over the dough sheet, leaving about a 1-cm or 1/2-inch border. [mv_img id="1388"]
• Starting from the bottom right corner of the dough sheet, start rolling the dough. [mv_img id="1389"]
• Work towards the opposite top left corner (again lightly dusting the dough with flour in places where the dough sticks to the surface) [mv_img id="1390"]
• Once completely rolled up, coil one end into itself and under the rest of the roll, such that the end is in contact with the counter surface. [mv_img id="1391"]
• Then turn the rest of the roll round on itself, coiling upwards like a spring coil, as you turn. As you reach the other end of the roll, turn or tuck the end in, into the coil, effectively sealing it. [mv_img id="1393"]
• Flatten the coiled dough by applying controlled pressure with the palm of your hand (do not slam or punch down). [mv_img id="1394"]
• Using light pressure, so as to try to keep the chopped onion bits enclosed, roll out into a 1-cm or 1/2-inch thick pancake. Always roll from the centre out to the edges. Transfer to a lightly floured dish. [mv_img id="1398"]
• Repeat these steps with the remaining dough portion, so you will have two pancakes. [mv_img id="1399"]
• Heat up some olive oil a large skillet over low heat. Once oil is hot, place one pancake in the centre of the skillet. Cover with lid, and let fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the side is cooked and pancake is a lovely, speckled golden brown colour. Flip the pancake over, cover with lid, and pan-fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, until side is cooked and golden brown. Do not be tempted to add more oil. [mv_img id="1400"]
• When cooked, turn off heat. Using a pair of grip tongs, grip the centre of the pancake and turn it upright so that it is on its side. While gripping it, lightly knock it on its side, onto the skillet base, to loosen or 'open up' the layers within the pancake. Place it back down in the skillet, and repeat until the pancake has been 'knocked' all around its sides. When done, dish out onto a serving plate. [mv_img id="1401"]
• When done, dish out onto a serving plate. [mv_img id="1403"]

CHINESE SPRING ONION PANCAKES

Steps:

• Mix together the flour, salt and water until you have a smooth dough. Knead it lightly then shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll each one out on a floured surface into a circle about 8" / 20cm diameter. Brush each with sesame oil and sprinkle with the spring onions and the sesame seeds. Roll up each piece into a cigar shape then and roll it into a spiral. Flatten the spirals gently with your hand then roll them out into circles about 1cm / 2.5cm thick.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a pan at least 1 cm deep and fry each pancake for about 2 minutes each side or until until golden brown. Pat dry with kitchen paper and serve sliced.

CHINESE SCALLION PANCAKES

Steps:

• Mix flour and 1 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl; pour in boiling water and quickly mix together until water is absorbed. Work cold water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, into flour mixture just until dough forms. Knead dough for 10 minutes. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let dough rest for 40 minutes.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface; divide into 4 equal pieces.
• Roll 1 piece of dough into a large thin round; brush the top with vegetable oil and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 the green onions. Pick up 1 end of the round and roll dough around green onions into a long scroll-shape. Take 1 scroll end and roll dough into a disk. Repeat with remaining dough, letting each disk rest for 10 minutes.
• Heat about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Place 1 disk on a floured surface and roll into a 1/2-inch thick round; cook in the hot oil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining disks.

FRIED SPRING ONION PANCAKE

Steps:

• Boil 1 cup of water; Add 1/4 cup of cold water to the boiled water.
• Put 3 cups of flour into a large bowl; Slowly pour approximately 1 cup of the hot water into the flour and stir the bowl while you pour.
• Knead until all of the flour in the bowl has joined the dough; (It may seem like there is too little water at first, but be patient; The dough will be kind of hot when kneading; When you are done, your dough should not be sticky and should look grayish).
• Cover the ball of dough with 2 layers of moist paper towels; Leave covered for at least 1 hour; After an hour or so, the dough should have transformed from gray to white; (You can use the wait-time to prepare the next step).
• Have your chopped onions and cooking oil ready in small bowls; Make sure your rolling pin and rolling board are floured; The steps to follow will need to be repeated until all of the ingredients are used up.
• Make a ball of dough 6-10 ounces in volume; (6 ounces will give you a pancake the size of a CD and will allow you to o fry 2-3 of them at the same time;) Make sure you re-cover the bowl each time you remove some dough.
• Use the roller to flatten the ball into a round circle 2-mm thick; Sprinkle salt (you decide how much) uniformly over the'circle;' Use the roller to roll the salt crystals into the dough.
• Brush a thin amount of cooking oil uniformly over the circle; Then sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of chopped onion uniformly over the circle; (Read the next step before applying the onions, so as to better understand how much onions to apply).
• Roll the circle into a cylinder; (If you put too much onion, it won't roll well) Gently squeeze as much air out of the'cylinder' as you can; Pinch the ends so the onions wont fall out; (If the sides of your cylinder start popping holes, you made the circle too thin, but don't worry).
• Roll the cylinder along the length and tuck the outer-end into the roll; Your creation should look like a snail shell and be shaped like a rollerskate wheel.
• Rest the'wheel' on its face and use your roller to flatten it into a pancake, around 4-5 mm thick; Don't be worried if onions start spilling out when you flatten.
• Brush your frying pan with cooking oil and fry on low heat; Turn when the bottom is crispy; The final pancake should be crispy on the outside, with a few burn spots on the surface, and dense and chewy on the inside.
• I recommend tasting the first one to decide if you want to add more salt or onion, or if you want to make the pancake thicker or thinner.

BACON AND SPRING ONION PANCAKES

Steps:

• In a bowl mix together everything except the oil to make a smooth batter.
• In a frying pan heat up about 2 tbsp oil, ensuring that it has coated all around the pan.
• Pour in 1/4 of the batter mix, spreading it around pan with a spatula. Cook until the edges start to brown.
• Flip pancake and cook the other side until it browns slightly.
• Repeat with the remaining batter until you have four large pancakes.
• Cut into wedges and serve hot.