I love to serve my family green onion scallion pancake as breakfast or with other meals when I cook porridges or congee. Honestly, scallion pancake is one of the most frequently dish on my family table. However, after kneading dough and kneading dough for quite a long time, I am a little bit tired and thus developed a simplified version. No need to knead the dough and only 5 minutes preparation. Though the pan-cake comes out slightly different, it is quite satisfying too. And traditionally version instructions are listed in Chinese scallion pancake and a Shanghai style version in scallion pancakes.
I am using a pan 27cm in diameter and I end up with 4 pancakes by using this amount. This is perfect for me because I need to serve for four family members currently. But you can use any pan. The principle is you need to place a thin layer (as well distributed as possible) of mixture to cover your pan. At the first attempts, if you find it is difficult to make it a round pancake. It does not matter, as you will get yummy pancakes too. As for the shape, just keep practicing.
When serving the pancake, if yours are as big as mine, it might be better to cut the pancake into wedges.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour , measure after shifting
- 420-440 ml water
- 1 cup finely chopped scallion , wash and drain well
- pinch of salt
- 1/8 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder , optional
- vegetable oil for frying
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In a large mixing bowl, stir water to flour and keep stirring with an egg whisk. Make sure that the water and flour is combined completely. Set aside for several minutes.
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Go to the scallion, finely chopped and throw into the bowl with flour and water. Add pinch of salt and five spice powder; continue to stir until everything combined well.
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Heat up around 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan (either big or small, it does not matter). Scoop the mixture and pour into the pan. When pouring over the mixture, do not place all of them in center, swirl it evenly by rotating the spoon to make a basic round pancake. And then use a smaller spoon or your pancake turnover to make the pancake as well distributed as possible. Pan-fry over medium fire for around 2-4 minutes until one side becomes golden brown. Turn over carefully to fry the second side for another 2 minutes. Then fry each side another 1 minute for a darker color and crisper taste.
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Transfer out and then absorb the extra oil by kitchen paper. Repeat to finish all the pancakes.
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When serving, as I usually make larger ones because of time issue, cut into small wedges and enjoy with family.
Can we add eggs to this recipe?
Yes, Quoc. You can add one egg and reduce water slightly. But I do not recommend adding too much egg.
hi elaine,
what type of sauce do you serve with these? they are great but my family wants a sauce with them any suggestions?
Hi Mary,
Usually we serve this pancake directly with congee as it is slightly dry. I would suggest you serving with congee or soups directly. If a dipping sauce is strongly in need, you can use chili sauces like Laoganma from China or Thai sweet chili sauce. Happy cooking!
Hi Elaine: This recipe looks delicious and easy. In your picture where you did the pan size pancake it reminded me almost of a crepe. Is it easy to flip the full pan size pancake? Will it hold together or do you recommend the smaller individual pancakes for a beginner? Also could rice flour be used to make these extra crispy? I think I would like to serve them with a dip of sour cream mixed with sweet Thai chili sauce… what do you think?
Maureen from Toronto, Canada
Hi Maureen,
Thanks for the suggestion. I use a Ikea 28cm frying pan to make this scallion pancake. You can start with a smaller pancake. But frying one takes several minutes so you may need more time if using a smaller pan.
Adding some rice flour or bean flour can help to make it crisp, this method has been used in Chinese Jianbing (煎饼) too.
Concerning about the dipping sauce, any chili sauce can work well. But personally I do not like complex dipping sauces for this pancake because it is full of flavor even with those simple ingredients.
Happy cooking and I hope you will love it.
I may never make old school green onion pancakes again….excellent!!!!
Haha, you get it. I love green onion pancake so much but really old style is time-consuming. I just love the simplicity of this one.
Thank you for this super easy recipe. I love the flakiness of traditional scallion pancakes but am thrilled to find your simple, quick version to satisfy my cravings when I don’t have the time or energy to make the others. I made these pancakes for the first time today and they turned out great – so crispy and jam-packed with green onions. They seem like no effort at all. 🙂
This one is so simple and requires no kneading and rolling. So it is the best option when there is no enough time. Glad to know it works fine on your side too. Happy cooking.
Hai Elaine…. Thank you for your recipe inspiration , I have been made it but failed and glad to see your recipe with a good measurement I make it again and success , it’s crispy n delicious ?.
Thanks Ana for your lovely feedback. It is the pancake season now and I hope you will love your cooking time.
Mine did not turn out at all like your photos! It was very gloopy and took a long time to cook?! I’m a fairly confident chef- what did I do wrong?!
Hi Mimi,
Yes, it should take a long time to cook with a larger amount of oil. The high temperature of oil will expel the extra amount of water and make the pancake crisp.
I tried making these but they just didn’t seem crispy enough. Any suggestions?
You need longer cooking time with more oil.
Hi Elaine
I wondering if this recipe is the same sort of pancake that I had and least 10 years ago when I visited China.
It was at the Great Wall ,there was a man with a a large iron hotplate, he poured batter on to the hotplate and moved it round to form a thin layer,it cooked very quick and he then folded it in a quarter then wrapped it in paper to eat on the go.it was really nice snack and has stuck in my mind.I do intent to try your recipe but would be interested to hear what you think.
Many thanks.
Hi Jaykay,
It is a famous Chinese street food named Jianbing “煎饼果子”. I will try to find the best way to reproduce it at home soon.
How kind,many thanks for your reply.i will keep any eye out.
Tried the easy version and loved it.
Added 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, some onion oil and a few drops of rasted sesame oil with the egg to make batter
The corn starch holds it together more