Green Onion Pancake Recipe yields savory pancakes that are served with a homemade brown sauce. This slightly flaky pancake is stuffed with finely chopped scallions. This recipe can be made by hand or with a food processor and are quite easy and quick to make.
I first had the Green Onion Pancake when I was in Singapore. On a fine Sunday morning, my husband and I were grocery shopping at the local wet market. As was our newly minted tradition, we stopped at the attached hawker’s center and tried a new dish. While it is called Cong Yu Bing in Mandarin, my husband just ordered “green pancakes”. My imagination was filled with some dish that had green fungus or something in it. I was pleasantly surprised when a crispy paratha-like dish that had fresh scallions arrived at the table.
When I remarked that it looked like a paratha, my husband amused me with a fanciful tale. He had attributed it to the fact that there was a rich history of Indians living in Shanghai, presumably because of the British presence in Hong Kong. While this story seems plausible, there is another anecdote that Marco Polo missed Cong Yu Bing on his return to Naples; so he persuaded a local chef to recreate it … and that was how the pizza was born. To be sure, I find this tale less plausible but like the whole “Who invented the noodle?” saga, I doubt that we are going to get a definitive answer. Nonetheless, there is something truly enchanting about the recipe for the Green Onion Pancake, not least of which is the rich flavor emanating from these simple ingredients.
What are green onions or scallions?
The humble scallion was cultivated in Asia since about 3500 BC, making it one of the oldest cultivars in human history. Scallions are related to onions, leeks, shallots, and chives and belong to the lily family. To be clear, while grocers sell both spring onions and scallions interchangeably, purists distinguish the spring onions (Allium fistulosum) because it has a slight bulb and the scallion (Allium cepa) because it has none. Mostly scallions are just immature onions and have a slightly milder flavor than spring onions. The other herb that scallions get conflated with is the chive, which while also belonging to the same family is called Allium schoenoprasum. As the smallest species of the onion family, they tend to have an even milder flavor profile than scallions.
Like all members of this family, scallions are excellent sources of dietary fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, folate, calcium, iron, potassium, and manganese, and a great source of thiamin, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper. As a rule, scallions add a rich flavor to pretty much anything, as a flavor additive or as a fresh and refreshing garnish.
The recipe for the Green Onion Pancake is based on the different parathas and other savory pancakes that I make in various cuisines. There is no fat used in this dough, yet the pancakes will be slightly flaky and light due to the addition of boiling water and the rolling process. These pancakes are not time-consuming to make and do not call for an elaborate rolling process.
How to make Green Onion Pancake:
- Pulse the flour, salt and boiling water in a food processor.
2. Mix until a dough is formed. I pulsed for over a minute. Cover the bowl with cloth and let it rest for 25-30 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into 4 balls. Roll each ball on a lightly dusted board.
4. Brush the top of the rolled dough with sesame oil. Roll up the dough and form a coil.
5. Roll the coiled dough and brush again with sesame oil. Sprinkle thinly-sliced green onion on top. Repeat rolling and coiling the dough.
6. Roll out to the desired thickness and cook each pancake individually on a griddle pan until brown spots appear. Drizzle some peanut oil on top. Mix the ingredients for the sauce and serve the pancakes with the sauce on the side.
1. Use boiling water to make the dough and not just hot water.
2. Resting the dough is crucial for this recipe.
3. Cook the pancakes one at a time on low to medium heat.
Storing:
The Green Onion Pancake can be refrigerated for two to three days or frozen for a couple of months. The dough can be made two days in advance and fried when needed. You could also try the Shrimp Egg Foo Young for another savory pancake.
Green Onion Pancake Recipe
Equipment
- Griddle pan, food processor
Ingredients
For the pancake:
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup filtered water boiling
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 green onion
For the sauce:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp ginger
- 3 green onion
Instructions
- Pulse the flour, salt and boiling water in a food processor.
- Mix until a dough is formed. Cover the bowl with cloth and let it rest for 25-30 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 balls. Roll each ball on a lightly dusted board.
- Brush the top of the rolled dough with sesame oil. Roll up the dough and form a coil.
- Roll the coiled dough and brush again with sesame oil. Sprinkle thinly-sliced green onion on top. Repeat rolling and coiling the dough.
- Roll out to the desired thickness and cook each pancake individually on a griddle pan until brown spots appear. (Drizzle some peanut oil on top-optional). Mix the ingredients for the sauce and serve the pancakes with the sauce on the side.
Notes
- Do not the roll the dough too thin as it will become crispy when fried.
Nutrition
Thanks for the brown sauce recipe