On the website, Tasting Table, I came across a unique flaky pancake of Chinese origin, and knew I had to make them. This recipe is by Miriam Hahn and the Tasting Table Staff, dated June of 2022.
According to Bon Appetit, “You’ll find scallion pancakes in pretty much every Chinese restaurant, and according to Bon Appetit, they are also an incredibly popular street food. Family recipes vary from generation to generation and region to region: They can be thin and crispy or light and puffy. Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn was fascinated by this Chinese take-out staple.”
The Tasting Table recipe utilizes Sichuan peppercorns and scallions inside the rolled up, coiled, and cooked pancakes. They’re supposed to be thin in this recipe, but I forgot to roll out the pancakes after rolling and coiling, so mine were flaky but also had a slight doughy inside.
To say that these pancakes are delicious is an understatement. I wanted to eat all six of them.
Flaky Scallion Pancakes
Slightly adapted
Makes 6
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
1 cup boiling water
â…” cup room temperature water
½ cup avocado oil
1 ½ teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns, ground I would use more)
1 cup scallions, thinly sliced
Combine 4 cups of flour and ½ teaspoon of salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, and add in the boiling water. Mix until partially blended. Then add in ⅔ cup of room-temperature water. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Remove the dough from the bowl, and place it on a floured surface. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth.
Brush the ball of dough with some oil, and transfer it into a bowl that’s covered with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap, and refrigerate it overnight.
The next day, if your Sichuan peppercorns are whole, grind 1 ½ teaspoons in a spice grinder. Add 1 cup of thinly sliced scallions, ½ cup of flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of ground peppercorns, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a mixing bowl. Heat ½ cup of avocado oil in a saucepan on medium heat. When the oil is hot, pour it into the bowl.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator, and cut it into 6 equal portions. Taking one piece at a time, roll the dough out into a very thin rectangle about 10 to 12 inches. (It’s okay if there are holes.) Layer a spoonful of the scallion mixture over the dough surface. Starting from the end closest to you, roll the dough into a long log.
Stretch out the rolled log to at least 15 inches. Coil the log so it looks like a cinnamon bun. Roll out each coiled piece of dough into a ¼-inch thick circle. Ooops I forgot this step!
Place each circle in a nonstick pan coated with oil. Heat the pan on medium heat, cover the pan, and cook the pancakes for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Serve the pancakes while they’re still hot. Mine of course took longer because I didn’t flatten them!
For a quick and easy dipping sauce, mix together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of Chinese rice cooking wine, a pinch of grated ginger and a few scallion slices.
I served with white rice and an over easy egg. Delicious.
