Scallion Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour

• 3/4 - 1 cup hot water

• vegetable oil, for brushing and pan frying

• kosher salt, for sprinkling

• 2 bunches of scallions, finely chopped

Mix flour and 3/4 cup hot water in a bowl. Mix together until dough starts to stick together. If the dough does not come together, slowly add more water. If the dough gets too wet, add more flour. Knead until the dough becomes smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl and let rest about 15 minutes.

Cut dough into six balls. Take one and roll out the dough until it’s about 1/8 thick and 8 inches in diameter. Pour some oil into a ramekin, then brush some oil on top of the pancake, leaving about a 1/4 inch border. Sprinkle salt on top, about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon. Sprinkle scallions on top.

Roll the dough like a cinnamon roll into a tube, then coil the dough like a snail. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Flatten a coiled dough with the palm of your hand, tucking the end under so it doesn’t spread out when you roll it out. Roll out the dough again to 1/8 inch thickness, about 8 inches in diameter.

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add one pancake and fry until the bottom is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining pancakes, adding oil as necessary.

One of Rob’s largest complaints about Chinese food takeout is that they don’t add enough scallions to their scallion pancakes. Solved that problem here. You can also use the green tops of leeks because I never understood why all leek recipes say to only use the white/light green parts.