Fast Scallion Pancakes

By Mark Bittman

Fast Scallion Pancakes
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(983)
Comments
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This isn’t the dense scallion pancake you see served in Chinese restaurants, which is made with what amounts to bread dough. But this recipe is inspired by that pancake. Made with a simplified, scallion-laden batter, it is a fork-tender pancake reminiscent of a vegetable fritter. The flavor is great, and the preparation time is about 20 minutes, an improvement on the hours you’d need to let typical scallion pancake dough rise. They are good not only as a side dish, but also as a platform for stews and juicy roasts — place a couple on a plate and spoon the stew on top. And although I still associate them with Asian-flavor dishes, omitting the optional soy sauce makes them a perfect accompaniment to braised foods that use European seasonings. (If you omit the soy sauce, also feel free to use any vegetable oil, or even good olive oil.) The same formula can be used to make pancakes with other members of the onion family, especially shallots and spring onions.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4bunches scallions or spring onions, about 1 pound
  • 1egg
  • 1teaspoon soy sauce
  • ½cup flour
  • Peanut, canola or olive oil as needed
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil while you trim the scallions. Roughly chop three bunches, and mince the fourth.

  2. Step 2

    Add the larger portion of scallions to the water, and cook about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Puree the cooked scallions in a blender, adding just enough of the cooking liquid to allow the machine to do its work.

  3. Step 3

    Mix the puree with the egg and soy, then gently stir in the flour until blended. Add pepper to taste, then the reserved minced scallions. Film a nonstick or well-seasoned skillet with oil, and turn the heat to medium-high. Drop the batter into the pan by the tablespoon or quarter cup, and cook about 2 minutes to a side, or until lightly browned. If necessary, the pancakes can be kept warm in a 200-degree oven for about 30 minutes.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
983 user ratings
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Comments

Anne

Great recipe! However, as potatoes and scallions are a perfect marriage, I used potato flower (often sold as potato starch). Yum...

Judy

I made there with leeks instead of scallions. They were delicious. Two good sized leeks, 1 egg, 1/4C+ flour, 2 or 3 T chopped walnuts, salt and pepper. Served with plain yogurt.

Rose

Based on the comments here I added one finely diced shallot, and didn't precook or puree the scallions. I finely chopped the scallions, used 2 eggs, changed the flour to 1/4 C bread crumbs and 1/4 C flour. I also added the 3/4 t baking soda recommended by Mary Steele. I made one large pancake in a non stick pan and it was a huge hit. The flavors were fresh and delicious.

Eric

I was a bit nervous making this based on mixed comments, but bulk scallions were on sale. These came out really well. Couple of modifications. I added an extra egg, 1/4 t salt, and more soy to the batter. Boiled half of the scallions, minced the remaining half. Note: when adding pepper to a batter with raw eggs, suggesting adding to taste isn't great advice. Cooked longer than recipe. I used the King Arthur dipping sauce recommended in other comments, which really elevated this.

Janet of Porto

Don’t abandon this recipe! If you poke the center of each pancake as you cook it with the small end of a chopstick in several places, the center of the pancake will cook through just fine.

stephanie & clive

If you’re looking for a scallion pancake, keep looking. Like others in the comments we found these gummy and raw even when cooked at high heat for more like 3 minutes per side.

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