Scallion Pancakes

So, traditionally, these are Chinese pancakes that are made with a dough but once when I was scrolling through tens of savoury pancake recipes, I found this little gem.
It makes use of a batter instead, making the recipe much easier and faster. Also, the crispiness is not to be underestimated, my friend...

Yields: 5 pancakes (on a 24 cm frying pan. The yield increases or decreases according to the size of your pan and the thickness of the pancakes.)


Ingredients

1. 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (after sifting)
2. 5-6 stalks of Scallions
3. 420-440 ml Water
4. Any Neutral Oil (to grease pan)

Seasoning

1. Salt (a pinch usually does it- start with 1/2 tsp and go from there.)
2. Five Spice Powder (Optional, a light dusting- less than 1/4 tsp does it.)

Instructions

1. Making the batter:
• Much like cake batter, start with placing the flour and the seasoning in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
• Slowly whisk in the water to make a homogenous batter that is lump/clump-free. Set this aside to rest for a few minutes. I like to use a balloon whisk.
• While the batter is resting, you can prep the scallions by slicing the scallions (super) thinly. Altogether, there should be about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of scallions. If the slices are not thin enough, you can also further dice them. Bear in mind, the way you chop them affects only two things- first, aesthetic. Thinly sliced scallions look prettier. Second, flavour- if the scallions are big and chunky, they won't mix into the batter evenly and will obviously yield to some parts being super tasty and others being the blandest thing you have ever made.
• Fold the scallions into the batter.
2. Frying the pancakes:
• Use a non-stick pan for best results. I'm sure you can use other options but then be prepared to compensate with oil.
• Warm up the pan to medium high heat and add a generous amount of oil- up to 1 tbsp.
• When the oil is warm (not hot), ladle in the batter. Unlike regular pancakes, you must not just drop the batter in the centre of the pan from where it is supposed to spread out on its own. The batter has to be dropped in circular motions and manually be spread out- like you would when you are trying to spread the oil in the beginning. I use about 2 ladles per pancake.
• Let the pancake cook on this side for about 3-4 minutes. If the pancake is very thick, you can put a lid on it for about a minute.
• Check with a spatula to make sure that that side is cooked and starting to brown. Then flip the pancake and let the other side cook for up to 2 minutes.
• Then flip the pancake again- this time to achieve a golden brown glow and a beautiful crisp. Do this for both sides.
• Use a spatula to take the pancake out of the pan and place onto a bed of kitchen roll/paper to soak up all the excess oil before serving.
3. Et voilá! You have savoury pancakes!

Garnish/Serving Tips & Tricks

• While these pancakes can be eaten on their own, they do actually require a dipping sauce to really shine. Here are some options, at the end of the day, you can use whatever you prefer:
• Soy sauce and ginger dipping sauce:
• 1/2 cup soy sauce.
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar.
• 2 tablespoons finely grated ginger.
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced.
• 2 teaspoons sugar.
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
• Also a soy sauce based dipping sauce:
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chilli oil
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Crispy chilli oil - my favourite
• Indian pickles or thecha