Recipe: Easy Scallion Pancakes

Yummmm.

Hello everyone! This morning, I had a craving for some onions. I love onions, so this isn’t out of left field for me. The only problem I had was what to make with said onions!

I’ve been growing green onions for a few months now, and they were getting a little out of hand…what better time to try my hand at scallion pancakes?

Scallion pancakes are traditionally a Chinese food, served alongside many different dishes. My stepdad is the only person I know that consistently gets them while out at our favorite Chinese restaurants. I’ve never made them before, and I didn’t want to mess with fussy dough. So, I turned to Pinterest!

I found this recipe on China Sichuan Food and knew I had to try my hand at it! I cut the recipe in half, so these were my measurements:

• 1/2 cup green onions (chopped)
• 1 cup sifted flour
• Pinch salt
• Roughly 200 ml water

It’s a pretty simple recipe and while it’s not your super traditional dough, this batter is more beginner friendly. I highly suggest trying this recipe out!

Here’s what I did:

• Wash your green onions. If you’re like me, trim your green onion plant and wash the greens until there’s no more dirt on them. Slice them up pretty fine; you want them to mix into the batter seamlessly. (Next time, I will slice my green onions even finer!)

So many onions! This ended up being a perfect 1/2 cup.

• Sift your flour. Using a sifter (or a fine mesh strainer, like me), sift your cup of flour. The recipie says to sift, then measure. I did not do that. Feel free to use your best judgment on that one!

Honestly it was more like a cup of water…

• Measure out your water and grab your whisk. You’ll want to whisk in your ~200ml of water so that the batter is smooth. Let it hang out for a bit! I went and fussed with my plants for 5 minutes, and when I came back, I moved on!
• Throw your salt and green onions in the mix. Whisk them all together until it becomes one delicious well blended bowl of batter.

• Heat up your pan on medium heat with some vegetable oil. We’re pan frying these bad boys! It doesn’t matter what size pan you use, as long as you can flip your pancakes safely. Coat the pan with a good inch/inch and a half of oil. Feel free to use any oil you want! I used veggie oil because it was next to the stove. If you run out of oil while cooking, put a little bit in the pan to return it to that inch depth. (Unless you’re me, and just simply run out!)

• Once your pan is hot, carefully scoop your batter into the oil. It doesn’t matter what you use to scoop (I used a 1/4 cup, but you can make them as big or as small as you want!). Don’t worry if your pancake isn’t perfectly round! Try to get it to be as evenly distributed as possible in the pan so that it cooks evenly. To do this, I tap my measuring cup on the bottom of the pan to help the batter spread.
• Let the pancake fry for 2–3 mins, then carefully flip. We’re not looking for perfect golden brown yet. Once the other side of the pancake is cooked (again, 2–3 mins), go ahead and flip again. That second round of flipping is where the golden brown will come from.

• Once your pancakes are golden brown, place them on a paper towel lined plate (it will absorb the excess oil from the pancake). Repeat until you have either used all your batter, or you have enough pancakes.

Because I am obnoxious (and I wanted to finish off the last of the veggie oil), I made all of my batter into pancakes. It was easy and fun to do, plus now I’ll have snacks for later!

I wasn’t sure what dipping sauce to use, so I got a little creative and mixed together ginger paste, sugar, teriyaki sauce, Siracha, and sesame seeds. I didn’t measure it at all, but it ended up being the perfect amount and the perfect flavor for the pancakes. After Googling, I found out The Splendid Table also has a dipping sauce recipe with their scallion pancake recipe that I suggest checking out as well.

I’m pleased to say that my first go at trying China Sichuan Food’s recipe went very well. They’re delicious! The dipping sauce I threw together turned out really great as well. If you’re interested in making these, I highly suggest doing so. It was easy and really hit the spot for my onion cravings. The only thing I wish I had now is some fried rice…!

Y’all know I had to capture the first bite!

If you liked this post, feel free to follow me on Twitter! I don’t post a lot of food related stuff on there, but I welcome any and all pictures and videos of food, as well as recipe links. I love cooking, so if you love it too, let me know! I’m trying to perfect a dinner recipe for this blog, so keep an eye out for that.

Make sure to check out China Sichuan Food and the Splendid Table for cooking inspiration, as well as my Pinterest for even more cooking inspo! Thanks for reading, y’all! Be safe out there, and eat good food!