This recipe for savoury pancakes from the Globe and Mail is based on a Chinese snack or breakfast treat. Make the dough, knead it and let it rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile melt the butter, combine with vegetable oil and stir in sesame oil. Divide the dough into four pieces and roll out. Brush with the butter-oil mixture and sprinkle with chopped green onions and salt. Shape the cakes and rest for another 20 minutes. Roll the cakes out again. At this point you can freeze the pancakes or fry them, one at a time, for 2-3 minutes per side.
Avoiding Additives and Preservatives
Make sure the butter does not contain colour.
Green onion pancakes
Ingredients:
2 cups (500 ml) all-purpose flour
½ tsp (2.5 ml) baking powder
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) baking soda
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) salt
¾ cup (187 ml) warm water
2 tbsp (30 ml) butter or shortening
2 tbsp (30 ml) cup canola or vegetable oil, plus extra for cooking
1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil
1-2 bunches green onions, roughly chopped
Salt, to taste
Preparation:
In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the water and stir until the dough comes together. Knead for a few minutes until the texture is firm.
Cover dough with a towel and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Melt the butter or shortening and combine with the canola or vegetable oil in a small dish. Stir in the sesame oil.
Divide the dough into four pieces. Working with one at a time, roll out into a rectangle or oval as thin as you can get it. (Don’t flour the countertop; you’ll need the dough to grip in order to roll out thin.) Brush with the butter-oil mixture, scatter with green onions and sprinkle with salt.
The next step is to shape the cakes. There are many ways to do so, but here are two of the simpler methods. Starting at a long side, roll the dough up or fold it accordion-style, then coil it like a cinnamon bun. If you want to be more elaborate, coil each end in opposite directions, like an S. If you do this, fold the dough in half at the end, so the two coils are stacked on top of one another.
However you shape the coils, set them aside to rest for at least 20 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax, so you can roll the cakes out again without the dough springing back.
This time, roll them as thin as you’d like. You can try rolling the dough between two pieces of parchment; this minimizes the mess of escaping green onions and can make it easier to transfer the cakes to the pan. At this point, the cakes can be frozen between layers of parchment.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil, ghee, butter or the last of the oil mixture you used to brush the cakes. If you used parchment paper, peel off the top piece, invert the cake into the hot pan and then remove the other piece. Cook one at a time, covered (foil works well to trap the heat if you don’t have a lid) for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook uncovered, reducing the heat to medium-low, until cakes are crisp and golden on both sides. Makes 4.
From the Globe and Mail
