Scallion Pancakes

It's always more fun to DIY. Every week, we'll spare you a trip to the grocery store and show you how to make small batches of great foods at home.

Today: Mandy from Lady and Pups replicates a Taiwanese street snack at home: crispy scallion pancakes, with plenty of layers.

I can't tell you how many times I've tried and failed to make scallion pancakes over the past few years. They're one of my favorite street snacks in Taiwan: a thinly rolled out soft dough with layers of finely diced scallions, pan-fried to golden brown yumminess. It was a challenge to make a home-friendly version that tasted just as good -- not to mention the fact that the idea of replicating all of those layers was extremely daunting.

Did I mention the street-version is almost always fried in lard?

Luckily (or perhaps dangerously) for you, I think I did it. After years of harassing street vendors and a number of my mother's friends who allegedly make them, a love child was born. This scallion flatbread has a dough that's made with both all-purpose and bread flours, plus both hot water and cold water (a Chinese technique that creates both softness and body). Scallion oil with a pinch of baking soda puffs up the layers during cooking and boosts the overall flavor. 

These can even make a hearty meal if you toss a golden brown flatbread on top of an egg that's still frying in the pan, and let them "stick" together, then brush some chili sauce over the top.

Multi-Layered Scallion Pancakes

Makes 4 large flatbreads

For the dough:

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (140 grams) bread flour
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (120 grams) hot water (150° F)
1/4 cup of cold/room temperature water
1/4 cup (50 grams) vegetable oil

For the scallion oil and fillings:

2 cups (105 grams) diced scallions, divided
1/2 cup (100 grams) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper, divided into 1/2 teaspoon each
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Coarse sea salt, to taste

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by Mandy from Lady and Pups