Beijing Style Spring Onion Pancake 北京蔥油餅

beijing, style, chinese, recipe, spring onion, pancake, crepe

I'm sure, dear readers, that you all are probably familiar with the fabulous Chinese spring onion pancake 蔥油餅! Well, here is an alternate version, a Beijing Style Spring Onion Pancake 北京蔥油餅 that is similar yet different: delicate, super thin, eggy and just as delicious as its more famous cousin.

This delicate pancake, infused with the savory umami aromas of spring onion and shallot, tis not only easy to make, but nom, nom, nom, perfect for an eggy breakfast or as a hot satisfying snack. And, if you're feeling extra creative, use this thin delicious pancake to present a variety of other dishes in an alternative fabulously wrapped up way!

The batter is very straight forward to make. Start with the flour, a low gluten flour helps to make a more delicate texture for the pancake. Push the flour aside to make a well in the middle of the flour to receive the beaten eggs.

Separate from the flour, some fresh eggs are whisked up with the seasonings of salt and sugar.

The whisked eggs are poured into the flour 'well'. The reason for this arrangement is to be able to slowly mix the flour into the eggs, thus creating a smoother batter.

Here is the batter at the beginning of mixing the flour into the eggs. Stir the eggs in the middle well, gradually pulling the flour in from the sides bit by bit while stirring to incorporate. As this is done, the water is also added bit by bit, helping to smooth out any lumps in the batter.

See how nice, loose and smooth the final batter is? To ensure even more smoothness the batter is passed through a sieve, removing any final lumps.

Now for the pièce de résistance, the star of the show, the spring onions 蔥! These delicate pancakes are really just an excuse to showcase the mild sweet oniony umami of these fantastic aromatics.

Did you know that the humble spring onions are one of the pantry basics of the Chinese kitchen? You need it pretty much everyday, whether to include in a stir fry as an aromatic or to use as a final umami flavor garnish. When I was little we used to grow spring onions right in our backyard and my grandma 奶奶 used to send me to pick some fresh sprigs for dinner everyday. How I wish I could do that now...

The spring onions are chopped to thin rounds and added to the batter along with some fragrant shallot infused oil. This delectable shallot infused oil is the secret ingredient in this pancake, increasing the umami factor with an invisible flavor wallop! In a pinch you could substitute with regular oil but why not take a moment and try our quick and easy recipe for making Homemade Shallot Oil 红葱油! (Pssst...or you can get it online here.)

The batter is rested in the fridge for a while to allow the all the flavors to meld with each other.

Time to fry some us some pancakes! We like to use our trusty cast iron pan and heat over a medium low heat. When the pan is hot, apply a thin layer of oil. I use kitchen paper to apply, it really helps to spread the oil thinly and evenly.

Give the batter a good stir as the flour sinks down after a while. Then measure out the amount of batter you want per pancake into a separate cup. The amount of batter used depends on the diameter of pan. I used a 7" pan and so required 3 tbsp for each pancake. For your particular diameter of pan you will need to guesstimate the first time and then adjust to fit.

With the batter measured out and ready to pour, lift the hot pan from the heat, pour and immediately swirl the pan so that the batter evenly spreads out in the pan. Then lower back the pan onto the heat.

See how nicely the swirl allowed the batter to cover the pan? Now it's time for the batter to cook until the bottom is nice and lightly browned. Watch the temperature of the pan and adjust as necessary to prevent any over cooking as the pancake is quite thin and will cook fast.

How to tell if the pancake is ready to flip? The dark yellow of the batter will turn light yellow and the edges of the pancake will release from the pan. You should also check by peeking under to check for browning but be careful not to rip the delicate pancake.

The pancake is flipped! See the nice browning? Once the flipped bottom also starts to brown lightly, the pancake is done and ready to leave the heat. Fold into fourths and lift onto a serving plate.

Flip a few more Beijing style spring onion pancakes and you're ready for some serious aromatic snacking! Nom, nom, deliciousness in spring onion stye: these pancakes are guaranteed to disappear as fast as you can make 'em!

Beijing Style Spring Onion Pancake

北京蔥油餅

(adapted from The Complete Book of Authentic Chinese Dim Sum by Katsumi Yoshioka) (makes 8-9) Prep: 5 mins Rest: 1 hr Cook: 16 mins

Ingredients:

1 cup low gluten flour, 125g
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cups water, 300g
3 tsp shallot infused oil, 15 g (check out our easy Infused Shallot Oil recipe here)
3/4 cup spring onions, cut to thin rounds
1/2 tsp oil (for frying)

Directions:

Prepare batter: Add flour to large mixing bowl, making an empty space or 'well' in the center. In a separate bowl add the eggs, salt and sugar, then whisk well. Pour the egg mixture in the 'well' prepared in the flour. Stir the surrounding flour into the egg bit by bit, while at the same time adding in the water bit by bit. Stir the flour until no more lumps. If you do have lumps put the batter thru a sieve.

Add aromatics: Add the shallot oil and the sliced spring onion rounds. Stir to incorporate. Cover and place in the fridge to rest for at least an hour.

Make the first pancake: Heat up a non-stick 7 inch pan over medium low heat. Add a thin layer of oil. Measure out 3 tbsp (amount of batter per pancake may vary according to your pan size) of batter into a separate cup. Lift the pan from the heat, pour batter in all at once and immediately swirl the pan so that the batter spreads evenly over the whole pan. Place back onto the heat and fry around 1-2 mins or until the bottom has browned slightly. Flip and fry the other side until it is slightly browned. Fold into fourths and remove to a serving plate.

Make the rest of the pancakes: Repeat above step for the rest of the batter, remembering to 1) stir the batter well each time and 2) lightly oil the pan once in a while.

Serve: Serve the hot pancakes by themselves for breakfast or as a snack. Or, time to get creative, use them to as a food wrap for a variety of dishes. Enjoy!

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