Soft Spring Onion Pancake

Chinese like various types of spring onion pancakes. I made big thick fluffy spring onion pancake on Christmas holiday and friends asked me to make one of the other types, the thin and soft one, and share the recipe to them.

Well I also love this spring onion pancake but it needs a large consumption of oil, usually lard, so I don’t make it often. Anyway, my homemade spring onion pancakes would be made with olive oil and more spring onion.

It takes a lot effort and time in making these tasty pancakes. But they would be finished in one go once they are served hot. I usually prepare them the night before and reheat them in the morning for breakfast. However, sometimes we just can’t resist having some at night when they are freshly made.

Ingredients –
All-purpose flour, 3 cups;
Boiling water, 1/2 cups;
Water in room temperature, 2/3 cups;
Spring onion, finely chopped, 1 1/2 cups;
Salt;
Olive oil.

How to do –
1. In a big mixing bowl, put in 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 1tsp of salt;
2. Boil some water and add 1/2 cups of boiling water in the flour, mix immediately;
3. Put in 2/3 cups of room-temperature water and mix well;

4. Knead for a few minutes in to a dough. Adjust by adding a little more flour or water. The dough should be soft at this stage. I don’t use yeast and the dough for this pancake is softer than other types, otherwise the pancakes would be too chewy and hard;
5. Cover and rest for 20 minutes;

6. After twenty minutes, the dough should be even softer. Knead for a few minutes till it’s smooth. Then divide it into eight or nine doughs in equal portion;
7. Roll the doughs into stick shape with your palm, then flatten with rolling pin;
8. Brush oil on the doughs and on the board, then cover them with cling film. Let them rest for one and a half hours;

9. Now let’s prepare the filling. Spring onion cleaned and finely chopped. Mix it with half cup of flour, half teaspoon of salt and half cup of oil. The mixture should look like paste. Adjust with a little bit more flour or oil;

10. Now the doughs are even softer and can be easily stretched and flattened. Flatten the dough into thin and long sheet, spread the spring onion paste on, then wrap it up. Remember to press out the air when folding. Shape round and let them rest for more 20 minutes;

11. Flatten into thin sheet with rolling pin. You may find it difficult to keep it nicely round but never mind, the dough is very soft and thin so it may be difficult to keep a good shape, taste matters;

12. I like to use non-stick pan so that I don’t need to put more oil to fry the pancakes. Since the pancake is very thin so it only needs one or two minutes to cook for each. Keep medium high heat;

13. Keep them in fridge if you want to have them the other day. When you reheat them, sprinkle a few drops of water in the pan and pan-fry double sides, with the steam.