Green Onion Pancake – 蔥油饼 – cōng yóu bǐng – Version #2

Well well. melonoat is still alive! it’s been a long time folks, but it’s worth the wait. I’ve spent my precious Saturday working on this post for you.
 

This version of green onion/scallion pancakes is my uncle’s. He actually used to own and operate a restaurant in Taiwan selling this stuff! I learned this recipe from my uncle during a previous trip to Taiwan. This might be my favorite green onion pancake recipe… shhh don’t tell my grandma. I hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients:
1 kg All purpose flour (~ 7 cups)
1 egg
300 cc warm water (~1.25 cups) (hot to touch but where you are able to put your finger in)
1 tbsp oil
chopped green onions (make sure these are dry and do not have too much water from washing)

Normal mix:
pork oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
flour

Vegetarian mix:
flour
vegetable oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
white pepper

optional– ground pork, season with salt, soysauce, pepper

Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, pour the flour in and made a well in the center. Add the water in slowly while mixing the flour. Add in the egg. Add 1 tbsp oil. You may need to add a little bit of water if it is too dry and the ingredients don’t mix thoroughly. The dough should be a little hard once completed, as it will soften as it sits.


 
2. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let sit ~5 minutes. Knead the dough 3-4 times. Do this a total of 5 times every 5 minutes.

 
Now, it is time to prep the sauce that goes on the dough before spreading out the green onions. There are 2 versions to choose from:
3a. Vegetarian/Healthier version: Mix the flour, sesame oil and white pepper in a bowl.

 
3b. Regular-Non Vegetarian version: Pork fat, sesame oil, white pepper and a little flour

 
4. Put a little sesame oil on your working surface area so the dough does not stick. Roll out the dough into a circle where the outside edges are a little thinner than the center.

 
5. Pour enough flour/oil/pepper mixture onto the dough to completely cover. Spread the mixture making sure there is more in the center than on the edges. Sprinkle salt over. If the mixture is too runny, add some flour over to thicken so.


 
6. Spread the green onions over the dough and mixture, again making sure there is more in the center than the outer sides. Be very generous and pile it on, as this dough will be stretched out and separated into 8-10 individual pancakes.

 

6b. optional– For you meat lovers, you can take some ground meat (flavored with some soy sauce, wine) and spread over the rolled out dough after spreading the sauce and before the green onions.

 

7. Sprinkle a layer of flour over the green onion to soak up any remaining excess water off the green onions.

 

8. Now starting from the sides, pull the dough up so it doesn’t stick to the surface.

 

9. Starting from the bottom left corner, pull the dough out towards you so that it becomes thinner (careful not to rip the dough). I think I pulled it out 5-6 inches. Start rolling the dough inward as you are pulling out. Keep pulling and rolling from the bottom up in the shape of the dough (a curved shape). The stretchier your dough is, the better it is!


 

10. Now once it is completed rolled, tuck in the ends so that the insides (onions and mixture) don’t come out.

 

11. Pull into small balls (~3-4 inches) and dip bottom in flour/oil mixture so it won’t stick when place on tray. You can brush a little sesame oil over the sides and top so they don’t stick to each other in the tray. Cover the tray and let sit ~1 hour at room temp. If it is hot (like in Taiwan..), you can let the dough rest in the fridge for ~2-3 hours. *If the dough doesn’t rest it won’t turn a lovely golden brown color when you pan fry.


 

12. When ~1hr is up, roll out each ball into a circle using a rolling pin (this time the outside edges thicker than the center).

 

13. Pan fry each rolled panked in oil until browned.

 

13a. Alternatively you can roll out the ball, press the top into sesame seeds, and bake at 425F for ~10 minutes or browned on top!