by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Hey Fellow Chefs,

When I’m eating at a Shanghainese restaurant, I like to order the scallion pancakes from the menu. Who can resist? Its fried, its crispy and delicious.

My instincts tell me I can make this at home. After checking out some scallion pancake recipes, it requires a longer process.

You start the dough with flour, water, salt and oil.  Mix well and let it sit for 2 hours. Who has time for that?  

I found this shortcut scallion pancake recipe from the Woks of Life website.

These shortcut scallion pancakes involve just layering 4 ingredients:

  • Dumpling wrappers
  • Oil
  • Salt
  • Scallions

The whole process from start to finish takes about 20 minutes. And the result? Crispy, layered scallion pancakes that you won’t be able to stop eating.

Try it out and let me know what you think?

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Take the dumpling wrappers out of the refrigerator and let them warm up a bit (they don’t necessarily have to be at room temperature, but they shouldn’t be cold). Wash the scallions and pat them thoroughly dry with a clean kitchen towel. Slice the scallions in half lengthwise and finely chop them.
  2. Prepare a small dish of salt and a dish of oil, along with a pastry brush.
  3. On a clean work surface, take a dumpling wrapper, brush it with a thin layer of oil, and lightly sprinkle with salt. Then cover with a layer of scallions. Top it with another dumpling wrapper, and lightly press it down. Repeat the process until you have 4-7 layers of dumpling wrappers.

4. Use a rolling pin to roll the layered dumpling skins into a pancake––however thick or thin you like. Rotate the scallion pancake as you roll to get a perfect round shape.

5. Heat a flat-bottomed non-stick or cast iron pan over medium heat. Spread 1 tablespoon oil around in the pan, and add the scallion pancake. Cook each side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. (Avoid using high heat, as it will burn the pancake without cooking it through).

6. If the pan looks dry after flipping the pancake, you can add another tablespoon of oil.

7. Enjoy these plain or with a dipping sauce!

Notes

To pre-make and freeze any uncooked scallion pancakes:

  1. After rolling out each pancake, place on a sheet of parchment or wax paper, and place another sheet of paper on top.
  2. Layer the scallion pancakes between the wax paper or parchment paper.
  3. Transfer to a large freezer bag, and place on a flat shelf in the freezer so they freeze flat.
  4. To cook, add them directly to a pan with hot oil––no need to thaw beforehand.

Check out this quick video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkZhYDAlrqs