Spring Onion Pancakes

During my first spring living in Waitsburg, I quickly fell in love with the vibrant-green rolling hills, the abundance of flowering trees, and the discovery of what the locals simply call “salad onions.” Before moving here, I foolishly thought I knew all there was to know about Walla Walla Sweet Onions, which made my first taste of a fresh local spring sweet onion all-the-more amazing. Delicious cooked or raw and readily available at local farm stands, I look for new ways to enjoy these early alliums every year. This week I turned to an old favorite Chinese dish, cong you bing, also known as scallion pancakes. Made of many thin layers of dough speckled with bright green onions, they have an addictive crisp and chewy texture.

Ingredients:

For the pancakes:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

⅓ cup melted lard, chicken fat, or vegetable oil

2 cups spring onions, thinly sliced (see notes)

Kosher salt

More vegetable oil for cooking, about 8 tablespoons

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon chili oil or chili paste

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Fresh chives, chopped

Directions:

Whisk together the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Add the sesame oil with 1 cup of boiling water and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Turn dough out onto floured work surface and knead for about five minutes, forming a smooth dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour as you go. Cover and let rest at room temperature for one hour.

While the dough rests, make the dipping sauce. Whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Top with chives and set aside.

Divide dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece out, working one at a time, on a floured surface as thin as possible into a 10” round. Brush the top with about 2 teaspoons of the melted fat or oil, then scatter ¼ cup of the spring onions evenly across the top and season with salt. Starting at the side closest to you, roll dough into a thin cylinder. Pinch the ends to seal the onions inside, starting at one end, twist into a coil, like a cinnamon roll. Cover with plastic wrap, or wax paper, as you continue with the remaining dough balls. Cover and let the coils rest for 15 minutes.

Next, roll each coil ball on a floured surface into a flat 5” round. Stack each pancake as you go with wax paper between.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Cook each pancake, one at a time, frequently turning to prevent burning, for 8 to 10 minutes. Pancakes are done when they are golden brown and crisp on each side. Add more oil to the pan between cooking each pancake. Keep cooked pancakes on a tray in a warm oven as you work. Cut into wedges and serve with dipping sauce.

Notes:

Traditionally, these pancakes are made with scallions. Try them, like I did, with our local spring sweet onions with egg-shaped white bulbs and dark green tops or with spring garlic shoots. Use the white and green parts of the onions, and be sure to season them generously with salt before rolling into the dough.

Versions of these pancakes are common across many regions of mainland China, as well as Taiwan. There is also a slightly eggy version, called pajeon, found in Korea. I’ve enjoyed them presented on carts at Cantonese dim sum houses, sold from street carts in Chinatown NYC, or as a starter at my favorite Szechuan restaurant in Seattle. These savory pancakes make a delightful appetizer or as a side dish to a large feast. This past week, I served them along with soy-glazed tofu and asparagus. Enjoy!