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Yǒu méi yǒu cong you bing? - Flakey Scallion Pancakes

Writer's picture: JulietJuliet

One of the things my family missed most during pandemic isolation was the Sunday ritual of going for dim sum. I’ve always been a fan, seeking out my favorite dim sum restaurant wherever I lived/traveled - from Atlanta (Oriental Pearl) to Chicago (Phoenix Restaurant), New York (Golden Unicorn), and the Bay Area (Joy Luck Palace then, after that closed, Koi Palace). I’ve indoctrinated many a friend (even reticent vegetarians) into the beauty of the carts for brunch/lunch, learning the Cantonese and/or Mandarin names for my favorite dishes. I tried learning regular conversational Mandarin, but then realized that the most applicable reason to speak a Chinese language was my dim sum habit, not talking about running horses (thanks Rosetta)!

In the absence of the delicious carts, we’ve made do with “dim sum nights” where we raid the freezer section of an Asian market and steam, air-fry, and pan fry an assortment of dumplings and rolls. The one item that I’ve been unable to get a decent version of through the freezer is the scallion pancake. I’ve tried making them before to meh results. Again, I turned to Kenji's Wok cookbook…

 

Ingredients: (4 pancakes)

Pancakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting work surface

1 cup boiling water

1/4 cup toasted sesame seed oil

2 TB flour

2 cups thinly sliced scallions


To Cook:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Kosher salt

 

Place flour in bowl of food processor. With processor running, slowly drizzle in about 3/4 of the boiling water. Process for 15 seconds. If dough does not come together and ride around the blade, drizzle in more water a tablespoon at a time until it just comes together. (Alternatively, in a large bowl add flour and 3/4 of the boiling water. Stir with a wooden spoon or chopsticks until dough comes together, adding water a tablespoon at a time as needed.) Transfer to a floured work surface and knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge.

Divide dough into four even pieces and shape each into a smooth ball. Working one ball at a time, roll out into a disk roughly 8-inches in diameter on a lightly floured surface. Mix sesame oil and 2 TB flour together into a paste. Using a pastry brush, paint a very thin layer of sesame oil mix over the top of the disk. Roll disk up like a jelly roll, then twist roll into a tight spiral, tucking the end underneath. Flatten gently with your hand, then re-roll into an 8-inch disk.


Paint with another layer of sesame oil, sprinkle with 1/2 cup scallions, and roll up like a jelly roll again. Twist into a spiral, flatten gently, and re-roll into a 7-inch disk. Repeat steps two and three with remaining dough balls.

Heat oil in an 8-inch nonstick, carbon steel, or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully slip pancake into hot oil. Cook, shaking pan gently, until first side is an even golden brown (about 2 minutes). Carefully flip with tongs (be careful not to splash the oil), and continue to cook, shaking pan gently, until second side is an even golden brown (about 2 minutes longer). Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Season with salt and cut into 6 wedges. Repeat with remaining 3 pancakes. Serve immediately with dipping sauce (I used hoisin and store bought dumpling sauce).

These were flakey, crispy, and delicious. They were *just* thick enough. The only complaint I have is that there should be a little salt incorporated into the layers. Next time I'll most likely dissolve 1/4-1/2 tsp salt into the sesame oil mixture. These are freezable before you cook them (freeze in a single layer before stacking with parchment between - defrost to room temp before putting in the oil) so next time I'll probably double the recipe so I have these at the ready from the freezer. Although, I'm hoping to get back to dim summing soon...


Rating: Excellent

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