Scallion Pancakes

This is the second dish that I made for the International Food Challenge. Scallion pancakes have been on my to-make list for a long time and when I saw them on the list of Cantonese dishes to try, I knew I had to make these. I found a recipe using whole wheat pastry flour in Whole Grains Baking by King Arthur flour and made them. They turned out great.

The dough for these pancakes is very sticky and that is how it is supposed to be to get nice and chewy pancakes. Recipe also requires quite a bit of oil, so don't attempt this recipe if you are on a low-fat diet or watching your calorie intake. But you need the oil to make the pancakes less sticky and easy to work with. 

I halved the recipe and made 3 pancakes. They are so addictive, that me and my husband ate them all in one sitting. The best part of the whole recipe is the dipping sauce; salty, sour, spicy and sweet.

Ingredients:

Bread flour - 2¼cups
Whole wheat Pastry flour - 2¼cups
Water - 2 cups
Peanut Oil - ½cup

Filling:
Scallions - 2 bunches, chopped into ¼" pieces
Peanut Oil - ¼cup and more for cooking
Salt - 1tbsp (or to taste)

Method:

• Combine both the flours in the bowl of the stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment and on low speed mix to combine. With the machine still on, slowly add the water and run the machine for 6 minutes. Dough will be sticking to the sides and the bottom. Using a spatula or your hands try to get the dough to the middle of the mixing bowl. Pour the peanut oil on top to avoid the top to dry out. Cover the bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the scallions.
• Chop the scallion greens into ¼" pieces. Add them to a bowl along with oil and salt. Mix well and set aside.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Try to keep each piece covered with peanut oil to avoid drying out. On a greased baking sheet, pat each piece into a 8" circle.
• Sprinkle ¼ cup of the filling mixture over each dough circle.
• Starting from one edge, roll each circle up to make a long tube. Holding one end of the tube in place, wind the rest of the dough around it like a snail.
• Pat out the wrapped dough into 8" circle.
• Heat enough peanut oil to cover the bottom of a 10" skillet. When you see the oil rippling  then the oil is hot enough. Carefully pick up the prepared pancake and place it gently in the hot skillet. 
• Fry the pancake until the bottom is golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Turn the pancake and cook for another 3 minutes or until golden. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Slice each pancake and serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce: This makes about 3 cups of dipping sauce. Halve or quarter the recipe if you are feeding a smaller crowd.

Ingredients:

Soy sauce - 2cups

Rice Wine Vinegar - ½cup

Mirin (sweet rice wine) - ½cup (substitute with simple syrup if you don't have this on hand)

Sesame oil - 1tbsp

Chili-garlic paste - 2tsp

Scallions - 1½cups, thinly sliced

Fresh Ginger - ½cup, grated

Garlic - ¼cup, minced

Sesame seeds - 2tbsp

Method:

• Combine the liquid ingredients with the chili-garlic paste and stir in the remaining ingredients. Let the mixture sit for 1 hour before serving/ Store the left over in an airtight container in the refrigerator.