Flaky shallot pancake (蔥油餅)

I was discussing the upcoming international food festival at school with Li, another mom from the school community. I mentioned my plan to make shallot cake, a beloved traditional snack from Northern China. Li’s eyes lit up with excitement. “For one of my birthdays,” Li reminisced, “my mother made three pieces of those incredibly delicious flaky shallot pancakes. I asked why there were only three pieces. She explained that to make those pancakes for my birthday, she used up every last drop of cooking oil in the house. Back then, cooking oil was rationed in China.

Yes, I remember ‘those days’.

That afternoon, I made my family a batch of shallot pancakes – flaky, oily, chewy and incredibly comforting!

The recipe is as follows:

1. To make the dough:

• 2 cups of plain flour  (more for dusting later)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1 tbs fine sugar
• 1 tsp salt

I prepare the dough using a bread maker, a process that typically takes around 5 minutes. If you opt for hand-kneading, it would require approximately 10 minutes of effort. Set the dough aside for a 20-minute resting period, covering it with cling wrap.

2. To prepare the shallot oil:

• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 30g shallot, finely chopped
• a dash of sesame oil
• a few pinches of salt

In a frying pan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and lightly stir-fry for about 20 seconds. Turn off the heat, then add salt and sesame oil. Transfer the shallots and the infused oil to a bowl to allow them to cool. This process will both soften the shallots and enhance their flavor.

3. To prepare the pancakes

• Roll the dough into a square sheet, aiming for a thickness of about 0.2cm.
  Evenly spread the shallot oil across the sheet.
  Roll up the sheet lengthwise, creating a sausage-like shape.
  Cut the sausage into round cylinders, each approximately 1 inch thick.
  Stand the cylinders upright and use the palm of your hand to flatten them into discs.
  Roll out the round discs into pancake shapes, aiming for a thickness of about 0.2cm.

4. To cook the pancake

Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add one or two pancakes at a time and cook each side until they turn golden brown, which should take about 2 minutes per side. Continue this process with the remaining pancakes.

Serve while warm.

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