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I made this a few weeks ago with the help of the recipe I got from another food blog

My ancestors are from Shanghai and this “Onion bread”, as I would like to call it, is a traditional Shanghai appetizer. In Singapore, you can only order this at Shanghai restaurants or some Chinese restaurants as well. The onion isn’t too strong, so it comes out very fragrant and just makes me want to eat more more more! It’s REALLY easy to make and takes about 1 hour of preparation.

In the recipe, scallions are used. Well in some places, scallions are also called spring onions. I’ve used baking powder instead of yeast as well. Which means you don’t really have to “activate” the yeast as suggested in the blog post. I’ve also amended the recipe a little to suit my taste.

Recipe for Chinese Shanghai Scallion Pancakes

Sift flour into 2 equal portions into separate bowls. In the first bowl, slowly add the baking powder-water, mixing with a spatula, until a dough forms.

In the second bowl, sprinkle the salt into the flour. Slowly pour in 1/2 cup of the boiling hot water while vigorously stirring (this “cooks” the dough.) Add more water and keep stirring until a rough dough forms. (If you accidentally add too much water and the dough is too soft, add a little more flour.) Mix in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Roll the doughs out on a lightly floured surface and knead them together. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes.

On the same floured surface, roll out the risen dough. Form into a 1-inch thick log, and slice into Ping Pong-ball sized segments. With a rolling pin, roll each segment out to 4″ or 5″ circles. Lightly brush the top of each circle with vegetable oil and sesame oil. Sprinkle over with chopped scallions. Roll up the circle, semi-tightly, making sure the scallions stay in place. Now, roll it again lengthwise until it forms a coiled ball.

Turn the spiral side face-up, then flatten again into a circle with the rolling pin. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining dough until you have a stack of scallion-studded spiral patties. (Whatever you don’t cook immediately can be frozen for future use.)

Heat a flat-bottom skillet on medium high heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Working in batches, pan-fry the pancakes until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Serve warm.

Tags: chinese, food, scallion pancakes