Chinese Green Onion Pancakes in Cast Iron

Last week I whipped up batch of these for lunch. Since I used cast iron in the process, I took a couple of quick snapshots with my phone and posted them in the Facebook Cast Iron Cooking group just for fun. Within minutes I was inundated with requests for my recipe. It was such a pleasant surprise I felt I had to write it up and share it!

This flatbread, which is a favorite at dim sum restaurants, is at once flakey, crisp, and chewy. It’s a bit unusual because it’s made with a hot water dough. And because the rolling process results in many thin layers of dough and oil sandwiched together, it’s a laminated dough of sorts.

To be honest, I never measure any of the ingredients except for the flour and water for the dough. The thing to know is that the ratio is 2 parts flour and 1 part boiling water by volume. The procedure may seem a little long, but it’s really quick and easy and fun to do once you get the hang of it. Take care to slice the green onion very thinly or it will tear through the dough. A short dowel roller, which can be found for around $2 at most Asian markets, is ideal for rolling these out.

Chinese Green Onion Pancakes
Printable Recipe

½ cup plus ¼ teaspoon all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Kosher salt
¼ cup boiling water
¾ teaspoon dark sesame oil
¾ teaspoon canola oil, plus more for frying
1 large green onion, thinly sliced
Soy sauce, for serving

Mix together ½ cup of the flour and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Add the boiling water and, using chopsticks, mix until all of the flour is moistened and the dough is cool enough to handle. Then knead for a minute or two until smooth and elastic. The dough will be somewhat sticky. Cover with a second inverted bowl and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the sesame oil, canola oil, and ¼ teaspoon of the flour in a small bowl.

Cut the dough into thirds and form each portion into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 ball of dough to a 6 to 7-inch wide circle. Drizzle about 1/3 of the sesame oil mixture over the dough circle and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon, leaving a ¼-inch border at the edge. Sprinkle over about 1/3 of the green onion.

Roll up the dough circle like a jelly roll.

Then coil up the roll like a snake.

Tuck the outer end of the roll under the coil to secure it and then press down on the coil lightly with the palm of your hand to create a disc. Make more discs with the remaining dough, sesame oil mixture, and green onions in the same manner.

Roll the discs out in the same order as you made them: On a lightly floured surface, roll out each disc to a 6 to 7-inch wide pancake.

As you work, stack the pancakes on a plate between sheets of parchment paper to keep them from sticking to each other.

Fry the pancakes in the same order as you rolled them: Heat a cast iron griddle over medium-low heat until very hot but not smoking. Add a generous drizzle of canola oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the griddle. Add 1 pancake and cook without disturbing for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown.

Using a spatula, turn the pancake and continue to cook over medium-low, pressing down on it lightly with the back of a spatula, another 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

Remove the pancake to a cutting board. Fry the remaining pancakes in the same manner.

Cut the pancakes into wedges and serve hot with soy sauce for dipping.

Makes 3 pancakes, enough for a generous snack. Feel free to double or triple the recipe if you have to share.

Taste

Once upon a time, I worked for a very wealthy family as a private chef. What they liked to eat never failed to surprise me. One night they would ask me to make boxed macaroni and cheese and the next night they would eat an entire beef tenderloin roast. They liked stuffing mix from a box and canned tomato soup and also lobster tails with garlic butter. Mostly, they just had beer taste on a champagne budget.

Now, I probably shouldn’t tell you about my time as a chef for this family. I probably shouldn’t even admit that I ever worked for them, they had me sign a strict confidentiality agreement. So, the names have all been changed to protect…well, me.

The Holiday’s went through a lot of chefs in the couple of years before I went to work for them. But they kept me around because, for whatever reason, the kids seemed to like me. Also, they said they liked my cooking.

Anyway, like I said, I didn’t always appreciate what they asked me to cook. I mean, I don’t know about you, but if I could afford a private chef, I most certainly wouldn’t ask her to make foods that come out of a box. So when Mercedes, the teenage daughter, came into the kitchen after dinner one night looking for cheese powder to sprinkle on her popcorn, I groaned inside. I’m just not a big fan of fake food. I bet you can tell.

“I don’t have any cheese powder, but I do have some truffle oil.” I waved the little bottle under her nose. A smile slowly spread across her lips. I knew there was hope for Mercedes, she leaned toward the gourmet, at least more so than the rest of her family. So I microwaved some popcorn and showed her how to drizzle it with the truffle oil. It went over great.

The next day, Mercedes asked me to make her a truffled grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. Grocery store white bread, a slice of American cheese, and a few drops of truffle oil, I had my work cut out for me.

Truffled Popcorn
Printable Recipe

¼ cup popcorn
½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Several drops truffle oil
Kosher salt

Toss together the popcorn and olive oil in a small bowl, making sure that the popcorn is evenly coated. Transfer to a brown paper lunch bag. Fold the top inch of the bag over a couple of times and staple once or twice to secure. Microwave for about 2 minutes, or until the popping slows. Transfer the popcorn to a bowl and drizzle with the butter and truffle oil, tossing to coat. Season to taste with salt and serve.

Serves 1 or 2. This is so much better than store-bought microwavable popcorn. If you want more, make 2 batches. Don’t double the recipe, believe me. I tried it and the bag exploded. And, yes, it's OK to use a couple of staples in the microwave.

Creamy

I’m a sucker for anything creamy. Trouble is, most creamy things have cream. And possibly eggs. And lots of sugar. But not Homemade Yogurt. Homemade Yogurt is health food, not dessert, so I can eat it all I want.

Homemade Yogurt
Printable Recipe

1 ½ quarts whole or 2% milk
¼ cup plain yogurt with live active cultures

Gently heat the milk to 180ºF. Let cool to 115ºF. Whisk in the yogurt. Divide the mixture among the yogurt machine jars, cover, and culture in the yogurt machine for 5 to 6 hours, or until thickened.


Refrigerate.

Makes 8 servings. Scalding the milk will eliminate any existing bacteria that might compete with the yogurt culture and ruin the yogurt. To cool the milk quickly, use an ice bath. Yogurt keeps refrigerated for a week or two. Reserve a portion of this batch of yogurt to use as starter for the next batch. Serve with a spoonful of honey or jam. Also fantastic with Granola with Almonds & Cherries.