SCALLION PANCAKES
The Shun Lee Cookbook by Michael Tong
You will find Scallion Pancakes In Beijing and Shanghai. We serve a thinner, more delicate version at Shun Lee. These are easy to make, and are best eaten freshly fried and piping hot.
Makes 14 pancakes, or 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Dough
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling
• 8 scallions, white and green parts, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces (3 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed
Directions
1. To make the dough, combine the flour, shortening, vegetable oil, sesame oil, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a bowl. Mix until the dough comes together.
2. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn out the dough and knead it, folding it over from bottom to top and adding sprinkles of flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking, about 25 times, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a sealed plastic bag to keep it moist while you make the filling.
3. To make the filling, mix the scallions, shortening, sesame oil, and salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly blended.
4. To assemble the pancakes, lightly dust the work surface again with flour. Divide the dough in half, and form the halves into cylinders, each about 1 inch in diameter. Cut each cylinder into seven 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Using a rolling pin, roll each round into a 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick oval, about 8 inches long and 4 inches wide.
5. Place a heaping tablespoon of the scallion mixture in the center of a pancake, and spread it to within 1 to 2 inches of the edge. Roll the top half of the pancake to the center, and then fold the top in half again, so that there is a double fold on top. Roll up the bottom half of the pancake to the center to meet the top half. Fold the pancake in half horizontally, you will now have a tube. Gently pull the tubular pancake horizontally, so it stretches 1 to 2 inches. Bring the edges of the tube together in a circle, and tuck one end of the tube into the other end, between the double fold, and pinch it tight so that the pancake won't unfold when it is cooked. With the palm of your hand or the side of a cleaver, flatten the pancake into a 4-inch-diameter round about 3/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (The uncooked pancakes can be made up to 12 hours in advance. Place them in a single layer in a plastic container, cover, and refrigerate.)
6. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet (or use two skillets to speed the procedure) over medium heat. Add a pancake to the skillet and press it gently with a metal spatula until it is 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Cook the pancake, pressing it occasionally with the spatula, until the underside is crisp and golden, about 3 minutes. Turn the pancake over and fry until the other side is golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer it to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining pancakes, adding more oil as needed. Cut each pancake into wedges and serve immediately.
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