Scallion Pancakes
Cut into eighths and share (or not).
It doesn't get simpler than this: salt, milk, lard, flour. Oh, and scallions.
Stir together the dry ingredients. (You're already halfway done.)
Chop the scallions thinly -- just the greens, please!
It helps to have a friend pour in the warmed milk and water while you stir.
The dough should come together smoothly -- no stickiness.
We'll have no half-hours of kneading here.
It doesn't take much for it all to come together. Then let the balls of dough takes a little rest.
Five minutes later, we're ready to roll!
It helps to generously flour your counter and even your rolling pin -- don't forget to make a few quarter-turns as you knead so the dough rolls out into a perfect circle.
Here's where that lard comes in. We're using local lard that Amanda received from FOOD52er sdebrango!
Now roll it up tight, but don't pull too hard on the dough.
Forming a nautilus...these swirls will become the flaky layers of the final pancake.
It looks like a tiny snail! And now we do it all over again with the other half of the dough.
After a short rest, we rolled the spiral of dough til it was flat again. Now for the scallion part of a scallion pancake.
Roll it up again to embed those scallions inside.
It's hard to be patient, but you'll be rewarded with a relaxed dough that's easy to work with if you let it rest between rolling.
Last time! Think of how good these pancakes will be after such an arm workout.
Into the pan it goes! Make sure the oil is quite hot.
And flip -- those splotches of brown are exactly what you're after.
A&M say: WHO: mrslarkin sells scones at the Pound Ridge farmers' market and has been a FOOD52er since the early days.
WHAT: A flaky pancake studded with slices of scallion, with a bonus simple dipping sauce.
HOW: The ingredients are all pantry staples, and mrslarkin's simple, clear instructions make rolling out the dough an easy task.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The best scallion pancake is the one you have straight off the skillet, still piping hot. These are that and more.
mrslarkin says: Sconegirl and I have been trying to recreate scallion pancakes at home. Every time we eat at a Chinese restaurant, we always order them. We were pretty happy with the way these turned out. Adapted from my recipe for Nonna's Piadina and most of the techniques of scallion pancake-rolling on the internet.
Makes two 8" pancakes
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon room-temperature lard or shortening (I saved the pork fat from my last braised pork belly), separated
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup thin-sliced scallion rounds (green part only)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, separated
- In a bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
- Combine water and milk in a small measuring cup. Warm in microwave at full power for 1 minute. Pour into flour and stir with a fork until dough comes together. Add a little more warm water or flour, if needed. You want a soft dough - not at all sticky.
- Using a bowl scraper, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute. Divide dough evenly into two pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and let rest, covered with a barely-damp paper towel, for at least 5 minutes.
- On a lightly-floured surface, roll out one piece of dough into a 9" circle, using a generously-floured rolling pin. With your fingertips, smear about a half-tablespoon of the lard over the dough circle. Beginning at an edge, roll up the dough into a tight log. Then, from one end of the log, roll up the log into a spiral (see pictures for details.) Tuck the end under and set aside, covered with the slightly-damp paper towel, and rest the dough for at least 5 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
- On a lightly-floured surface, using a well-floured rolling pin, roll out one spiral of dough into a 9" circle again. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sliced scallions over the dough. Beginning at an edge, roll up the dough into a tight log. Then, from one end of the log, roll up the log into a spiral again. Tuck the end under and set aside, covered with the slightly-damp paper towel, and rest the dough for at least 5 minutes. Repeat with the second spiral of dough.
- On a lightly-floured surface, using a generously-floured rolling pin, gently roll out one spiral of scallion-filled dough into an 8" circle (about 1/8-inch thick). Set aside, and cover with the slightly-damp paper towel. Repeat with the second scallion-filled dough spiral.
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium to medium/high heat. Carefully lay one pancake into the skillet, taking care not to splatter the hot oil onto yourself. Cook until the underside takes on nice splotches of toasty golden-brown. Flip and cook other side until toasty/splotchy (you may want to ask a friend to help you add a bit more oil for the second side). Remove to a plate, cut into triangles and serve immediately with dipping sauce.
- 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.
- Your Best Pancakes, Sweet or Savory Contest Finalist!








about 1 month ago Cat822
officially the best scallion recipe I've used. I'm nearly vegan so I used almond milk and sesame oil in place of the bacon. dip in duck sauce or ginger soy sauce. yum very impressed!
about 1 month ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
That's great, Cat822! Thanks for letting me know.
2 months ago Chantal Miller
What sides did you cook to go with this?
2 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Hi Chantal, we just eat these straight from the pan. It's more of an appetizer. ChefJune's idea is to match them with this dish: http://www.food52.com/recipes...
And others have made them for breakfast. I bet they'd be great with scrambled eggs.
Here's a great Chinese menu that these would be great alongside: http://www.food52.com/blog...
5 months ago jeanmarieok
I've made these with lard, bacon grease and sesame oil, and all turn out beautifully. We probably like bacon grease best - the bacon flavor is not pronounced. And I always have it on hand.
5 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
yum!
7 months ago Kitchie
A Chinese friend suggested making one batch with green onions, one with peanut butter mixed with a bit of chili oil. Both excellent!
7 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Glad it worked out! Peanut butter? Sounds interesting! Tell us where you added the peanut butter and chili oil, please!
7 months ago Kitchie
First mix about 2 Tbs unsweetened "natural" peanut butter (I use chunky) with a few drops of chili oil (maybe 1/8th tsp... more or less, to taste). At Step 5, instead of adding scallions, dab half the peanut butter/oil mixture onto the rolled-out pancake, then roll again, as in your recipe. My Chinese friend (from Wuxi, Jiangsu province) says both kinds are popular.
10 months ago littlebear
This recipe looks amazing, I have some schmaltz in the fridge, would that do in place of lard?
10 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Thanks littlebear. I would definitely give that a try. let us know how it turns out!
10 months ago somebunnyslove
I've been making these pancakes using caramelized onions and garlic. What a hit out of the park!
10 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
yay! So glad you like the recipe!
10 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Congrats on being runner up MrsL! I'm making these tomorrow and I absolutely cannot wait!!!!!! I'm sure they'll be winners at my table!
10 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Thanks, 5&s! Do let me know how they turn out. They are really fun to make!
10 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
They're in process right now! Taking a break from data transcription. I'll let you know how they are as soon as I've devoured them for lunch. :)
10 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
They are stupendoulsy delicious!
10 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Yay! So glad you liked them.
10 months ago Greenstuff
fiveandspice's blog post on her "bastardized quasi-Scandinavian-Franco-Asian" version of mrslarkin's pancakes is great! It really conveys what mrslarkin says about them being fun to make. I can wait to make my own version.
10 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
totally agree Greenstuff. That is a brilliant blogpost. Definitely trying these with butter sometime soon.
10 months ago ChefJune
yum. I'm thinking of these as the side for Asian influenced pork chops... or the perfect party food made in miniature to go with my 1-2-3-4 Spareribs http://www.food52.com/recipes... !
10 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
ChefJune, those ribs sound insanely delicious! Really great idea. I'm going to try them soon. With the pancakes! :)
10 months ago ChefJune
yum. I'm thinking of these as the side for Asian influenced pork chops... or the perfect party food made in miniature to go with my 1-2-3-4 Spareribs http://www.food52.com/recipes... !
10 months ago bonbonmarie
I can't wait to try these, maybe with some of my ever generous chive plants...
11 months ago MrsWheelbarrow
Cathy is a trusted source on Pickling/Preserving.
MrsL, these pancakes look so delicious, I made them for breakfast, as I'm a savory in the morning girl. Delicious!!. D loved them, too!
11 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Oh, MrsW, that makes me so happy! Really glad you guys enjoyed the pancakes. Thanks a bunch.
11 months ago Madhuja
This looks so fabulous! I have never cooked with lard, but I might just have to take a leap of faith with this gorgeous recipe!
11 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Thanks Madhuja. Hope you like it!
11 months ago gluttonforlife
Drool.
11 months ago txc84
My mom is Chinese and went to cooking school in Hong Kong. This sounds similar to her recipe, except she doesn't use milk. She also mixes oil, salt, and scallions together and spreads that over the dough before spiraling it. Man, I want scallion pancakes now...
11 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
That sound like a great technique! May try it next time I make these. Thanks txc84.
11 months ago Lizthechef
GO LIZ!!
11 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Thanks Liz!
11 months ago lapadia
I'm on it, congrats mrsl!!
11 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Yay! :) Thanks lapadia!
11 months ago Bevi
Congrats mrsl! What a beautiful recipe!
11 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Thanks, Bevi!!
11 months ago Midge
Oh man, do these sound amazing. Congrats mrsl!
11 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Thanks so much, Midge!
11 months ago Cortni Romaine
I have been eating "green onion cakes" for years! I love love love them!! Prefer mine topped with chili oil.
11 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
chili oil sounds soooo good. Will try that next time.
11 months ago nannydeb
Mmmmm. Just as I was thinking about giving up carbs to shed some pounds...
11 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
don't you need carbs for running marathons? ;)