
East Asian · 50 min · Medium · 4 pancakes
Scallion Pancakes
Chewy, flaky layered flatbreads shot through with scallion, fried until blistered and served with a sharp dipping sauce. The rolling technique is what makes the layers.
~540 cal per serving — Calories are approximate, per serving — a guide only.
Method
- 1
Make the dough
⏱ 30 minPut the flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pour in ¾ cup (180 ml) of just-boiled water, stirring with chopsticks or a spoon. Boiling water is what makes the dough chewy rather than bready. Knead until smooth, then cover and rest.
- 2
Roll and layer
Divide the dough into equal pieces, one per serving. Roll each piece out thinly, brush with sesame oil, sprinkle with salt and a quarter of the scallions, then roll it into a tight cigar and coil the cigar into a spiral. Flatten and roll out again — this is what creates the layers.
- 3
Mix the dipping sauce
Stir the soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili flakes, grated garlic and sesame seeds together in a small bowl.
- 4
Fry
⏱ 20 minHeat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook each pancake until deep golden and blistered on both sides, adding more oil as needed. Press down lightly with a spatula as they cook.
- 5
Serve
Cut each pancake into wedges and serve hot with the dipping sauce.
Notes
Boiling water in the dough, not cold — it denatures the gluten and gives the characteristic chew. Roll, coil, then re-roll; skipping the coil gives you a flat pancake with no flakiness. Best eaten straight from the pan.