Just a week ago, my dad was working on our family farm in our backyard and bought home a bag of scallions from the supermarket. Since he only needed the roots, I ended up with a  bunch of scallion shoots on hand. “Surprise me”, he said. Well okay. Cut scallions only last in the fridge for a couple of days, so I had to think fast. Hmm…

It was right that moment that my brother walked past asking if I was making scallion pancakes. It was a pretty darn good idea. So I thought, what the heck?! Let’s do this!

This version of layered flatbread originated from Northern China, and often you’ll see vendors along the streets of Beijing selling this popular staple. Known as 葱油饼 ‘cōng yóu bǐnɡ’, these addictive flat-breads immediately became a family favourite: the whole plate was devoured within dinnertime! Not only were they flaky and crisp on the outside, but separated perfectly into layers whilst maintaining that perfect chewy texture. The five-spice I decided to add surprisingly gave it a little oomph! that was missing. There was one flaw to this dish – although scallions themselves only contain 33 calories per 100g, scallion pancakes require quite a bit of oil, and up to a day of dough rising time. Despite a few failures at the start, I managed to come up with the quickest and healthiest way to make them.

Low fat? Delicious? YES PLEASE!!

Now… *drumroll* let’s jump into the recipe!!

Y’all ready??

Yield: 4 servings

45 Minute Chinese Coiled Scallion Pancakes: HEALTHY & VEGAN!

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Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 250 g all-purpose flour (preferably white)
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• ½-¾ tsp Chinese five spice
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used rice bran)
• 180ml hot water (around it’s boiling temperature)
• 1 heaped cup scallions, finely diced (around 4)
• 3+ tbsp oil for frying (peanut/sesame oil is normally used, but any high smoke oil is fine)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (I like to use a fork or a whisk)
2. Add in 1tbsp of vegetable oil and 180ml of your very hot water and combine well with the dry ingredients. It should be mixed in well, but slightly dry that you’ll need to knead the dough to help it hold together. If necessary, add 1tsp more hot water.
3. Knead until the dough becomes elastic (4~6 minutes). Place in a warm place and cover with a damp kitchen towel or a pot lid for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Divide into four equal size portions (or not.)
5. Roll one of the quarters as flat as you can and brush a little oil on it (this should only use up 1/4 tbsp per quarter) sprinkle 1/4 of diced scallions evenly over the oiled dough.
6. Rolllllllll and shape into a coil. Here’s a picture I found for reference:
7. Anndd rollll it out so it resembles flatbread. Totally cool if some scallions are peeking out from the skin or if it has small tears on the surface. After all, it’s what’s inside that counts 
8. Heat around 2tsp of frying oil in a pan on low heat, once the oil gets hot, place your scallion pancake in and flip every two minutes. Try not to let the scallions burn! Once golden brown on both sides, cut up the pancake and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Yield

4 servings

Serving Size

1
Amount Per ServingCalories 329Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 0mgSodium 298mgCarbohydrates 50gFiber 3gSugar 1gProtein 7g

There you have it! The fastest, yummiest, guilt-free Chinese Scallion Pancakes. All in 45 minutes! Remember to tag me @imheatherr on Instagram if you tried this recipe out! 

‘Till next time!

-Heather