BRICS Dining: China, scallion pancakes

Scallion pancakes are one of the most popular dishes across China. It uses only five ingredients and provides a delicious flavour-packed punch to the tastebuds.

Ingredients

Scallion pancakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• One teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, optional
• 3/4 cup hot (just boiling) water, plus a few more tablespoons, if necessary
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 to 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Dipping sauce:

• Two tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• Pinch red pepper flakes, optional

Method

Mix the dough:

Add flour, salt and garlic powder to a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Add 3/4 cup of hot water to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring until the flour has absorbed all the water. Don’t worry if the dough has not formed completely yet.

Knead the dough:

Knead all the bits of dough together with your hands inside the bowl. If your dough is still very dry, add a splash of hot water, about 1 to 2 tablespoons, until it comes together and all the flour is absorbed. Continue kneading the dough for about two more minutes. The dough will feel moist, but it should not stick to your hands too much.

Rest the dough:

Shape the dough into a round ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Roll out the pancakes:

Sprinkle flour on top of a work surface. Divide the dough into four pieces of equal size. Work with one piece at a time, leaving the remaining pieces in the bowl. Shape a piece of dough into a small ball. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a thin circle, about 7 to 8 inches in diameter.

Add the scallions:

Brush a thin layer of canola oil on top of the dough, ensuring not to miss the edges. Sprinkle sliced scallions all over the dough.

Roll and flatten the pancake:

Starting on one end, roll the circle of dough into a log. Take one end of the rolled-up dough and curl it toward the centre, like a snail’s shell. Tuck the end of the dough underneath the spiral. Use the palm of your hand to flatten the dough into a thick circle. Roll it out again with your rolling pin.

Try to roll it out as thinly as possible. A few slices of scallions may pop out during the process, and that’s perfectly normal. Transfer rolled-out scallion pancake to a plate. Repeat steps 4 through 6 with the remaining dough pieces.

Cook the pancakes:

Heat about 2 teaspoons of canola oil in a small nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat .Place one of the pancakes in the middle of the pan and pan fry each side for about 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the 3 remaining scallion pancakes, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Prepare the dipping sauce:

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Adjust the seasonings to your liking, adding more soy sauce or vinegar if you like. Add any leftover scallions to the dipping sauce, and add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you want some spice.

Serve the hot pancakes:

Cut the scallion pancakes into small wedges and serve with the dipping sauce while hot. (The pancakes are still good when cooled but will no longer be crispy.)

This recipe was sourced from https://www.simplyrecipes.com/

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