Saturday, May 21, 2011

Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)


Any time Dan and I get Chinese delivery, we make sure to get an order of scallion pancakes and crab rangoons. They are equally delicious, but I always feel kind of bad eating (and loving) crab rangoons. I mean, they're fake Chinese food! As a good Chinese person I feel like I should turn my nose up at it and treat it with the same disdain that I have for orange chicken and General Gao's-anything. But they're just so creamy and fried and delicious, and I can't help myself from going back to them again and again. I'm not a strong person.

(BTW, we painted our walls. You like?)

Scallion pancakes are different, though. My mom used to make me scallion pancakes for lunch when I was a kid. And, they're offered on all the menus at even the most authentic Chinese restaurants. Surely that means they are legit?  And I can love them without shame? Umm, I'm going to go with "yes" and help myself to another pancake.

Scallion Pancakes

Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil this time though. Seemed fine.)
- 1 tbsp seasame oil
- 1/2 cup scallions/green onions, chopped
- Salt to taste (I used a heaping spoonful)

Steps:
(1) In a large bowl, mix dry and wet ingredients + egg until a pancake-like batter has formed.
(2) Add scallions and stir until well-combined. Taste a little bit of the batter to make sure it's salty enough for your tastes. Set aside
(3) Heat a pan on medium/high heat. Spray with a light coat of cooking spray.
(4) When pan is hot, pour about 1/2 cup batter into the center of the pan. Using a spoon or spatula, spread batter out into a circular shape, about 1/4 inch thick.
(5) Cook for about a minute, then flip. Cooked side should be golden brown. Cook other side until the same.
(6) Repeat previous step until all batter is cooked. Slice pancakes into squares or wedges. Serve hot with soy sauce for dipping. (I like to add some crushed pepper, seasame oil, chopped garlic and green onions to the dipping sauce)

2 comments:

proterozoic said...

给力! I'll try this tonight. BTW, does the batter keep in the fridge at all?

justputzing said...

I've always used all the batter in on go, so I'm not sure. But, the batter is a lot like regular pancake batter, so I imagine if you put it in a tightly sealed container or Saran wrap the bowl it'll be fine in the fridge for a day or two, definitely overnight.