Scallion pancakes are an unusual, but delicious brunch dish
Scallion pancakes are a wonderful way to make brunch a little more interesting.
There are lots of recipes around for this savoury, flaky dim sum staple, but many involve dough that has to be kneaded, rested and rolled out. The 30minute chef doesn’t have time for that.
Here is a way to make them as if you were making regular pancakes.
It’s a batter, not a dough, and it comes out chewy instead of flaky. But it’s still a winner.
Scallions, egg and sesame oil: What’s not to love? And it’s ready in minutes.
To celebrate the return of spring, I used lots of chopped up spinach, cilantro and green onions in the pancakes. They offer a fresh taste and a beautiful colour.
This dish would be great as part of a brunch buffet, or with soup as a simple supper. I dipped them in hoisin sauce, made a little more spicy by the addition of sriracha sauce. Both of these are available in well-stocked supermarkets or in Asian specialty stores.
Quick scallion pancakes
2 eggs
250 ml (1 cup) water 500 ml (2 cups) flour
60 ml (4 tablespoons) sesame oil
6 to 8 green onions Handful of fresh coriander Handful of spinach Vegetable oil for frying Hoisin and sriracha sauces
Beat the eggs until pale yellow, about one minute. Add the water.
Beat in the flour until you have a medium-thick batter that drips slowly off a spoon. (You may need more water for this.)
Trim roots off the green onions and wash. Mince the white parts of the onions and cut the green part into thin slices. Stir into the batter. Chop the coriander and the spinach. Stir into the batter.
Heat a frying pan on medium heat and add oil. When a drop of batter sizzles gently on contact, temperature is right. Pour the batter into round shapes in the pan. Some people like to draw a circle with the batter and fill in the centre.
Cook until golden brown on both sides, adding oil as necessary. Keep cooked pancakes warm between paper towels to soak up excess oil. Repeat until all the batter is used.
Serve hot or warm with hoisin and sriracha sauces.
Makes 4 servings.