Negi pankeeki / cong you bing scallion pancakes

A somewhat flaky pancake-like snack from Taiwan, crispy outside and a bit chewy inside. The simple combination of flour and green onions tastes great, especially when cooked with a little more oil -- dangerous for those who wish to stay trim.

<Ingredients>

(for two 20 cm pancakes)

200 g all purpose flour
100 cc water
1 tsp oil
20 cc (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) boiling water (not in photo)
4 green onions (green parts)
2 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp salt
Canola oil and sesame oil for cooking (not in photo)


<Directions>
1.

In a large bowl, put flour and water, and mix well. Dough should be very crumbly at this point.

Add boiling water to oil, and swirl in flour mixture.

Mix well.

When dough comes together, knead until smooth for several minutes.

Cover, and let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour (20 minutes, if in hurry).

2.

In the meantime, finely chop green onions, and set aside.

Melt coconut oil in microwave (15-20 seconds).

3.

Roll out dough.
Divide dough in half, and work on each. Keep the one on hold covered to prevent the surface from drying.
Roll out 5-8 mm thick in an oblong shape (ideally a rectangular shape).

Spread coconut oil.

Then, spread sesame oil.

Add salt to green onions and mix well.

Evenly sprinkle green onions.

Roll up dough, starting from the end closest to you.

4.

Pinch all ends to seal.

Roll the rope-form dough to make it skinnier, to double in length.

Take one end and roll in a coil.

Dab water at the very end, and stick.
Cover, and work on the other piece.

5.

When ready to cook, roll out each coil 7-8 mm thick.

6.

In a frying-pan, heat 1 tsp canola oil and 2 tsp sesame oil, and fry the pancake on medium low.

Flip when outer edge starts to cook (even before browning, to have both sides covered with oil).

Cook until toasty and partially brown, remove from pan, and let sit on a paper towel to absorb extra oil.

Serve with soy sauce and tobanjan or sweetened soy sauce.

<Notes>

• Add salt to green onions immediately before spreading them on dough. Salt draws out the water; if you mix salt too early, the green onions get a bit soggy.
• Layers of dough become more distinct when more oil is used. When cooked with a smaller amount of oil, this snack tastes powdery and dry.
• The scallion pancakes I used to have on the streets in Taiwan were quite large, and vendors folded each pancake a couple of times and wrapped it in paper. It was handy snack when hungry and on the go, especially when I wanted something hot, although finishing it all by myself was a challenge.