Chinese Green Onion Pancakes

Ala
by Ala
10 pancakes
1 hr 5 min

Growing up, I loved eating Chinese Green Onion Pancakes, otherwise known as 蔥油餅. We would order them as appetizers whenever we went to my favorite Chinese cafe, and my brother and I would fight for the last oily, crispy slice of scallion-filled dough. But I never thought I’d be able to make my own green onion pancakes, mainly because I’m a by-the-book kind of gal and I dreaded asking any of my improvising relatives (who are absolutely phenomenal in the kitchen, by the way) for a cooking lesson.

And then along came the Internet, and a tiny ray of hope crept into my windowless, pancake-less existence. I still remember the first time I Googled “Chinese green onion pancakes” back in 2012 and spending hours scouring recipes until I came across one from Rasa Malasia that reminded me exactly of the pancakes we used to eat back home. After an hour of following her recipe (measurements! instructions! exactness!), I ended up with a beautiful batch of these savory, crispy fried bites. The heavens opened. Choirs sang. A few ancient Chinese ancestors might have swooped by my kitchen and given me a high-five at my recipe success.

Chinese Green Onion Pancakes
Recipe details
  • 10  pancakes
  • Prep time: 1 Hours Cook time: 5 Minutes Total time: 1 hr 5 min
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Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 cup boiling water
  • 5-7 stalks green onions, with stems trimmed and greens cut into fine slices
  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil
  • Oil for frying
Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Gradually add water, stirring between each 1/4 cup addition until dough comes together.
Knead dough for approximately 10-15 minutes, until smooth and shiny. Be careful not to overknead--your dough should still retain some good elasticity but no longer be sticky.
Place dough back in mixing bowl, cover with damp towel, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 10-12 small 1-inch balls.
Roll out each ball gently with a rolling pin (or using your hands) until you have a flat, round disc. Brush with a thin layer of sesame oil, then sprinkle a pinch of green onion slices evenly on top of the disc. Roll up disc from one end until dough forms a thin log.
"Snake" the log into a coil shape, then flatten into a round disc again using rolling pin (or hands).
Once you've rolled out your entire batch, heat up your wok with a shallow layer of oil. Shallow-fry each side of a pancake for approximately 1-2 minutes, or until golden. Flip, fry the other side, and transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain excess oil.
Slice, serve hot, and enjoy!
Ala
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Comments
  • Shirley-Anne Walton Shirley-Anne Walton on Dec 30, 2023

    Can one use thawed pizza dough for these even though there is yeast in it. Gotta try it soon.

    • Ala Ala on Dec 31, 2023

      Pizza dough feels pretty different to me, though I've never tried it so if you do, let me know how it turns out!

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