Flatbreads & Griddle · Chinese home cooking
Spring Onion Egg Pancake
A thin egg-and-flour batter carries a generous handful of scallions and sets into a supple, faintly chewy round with browned, lacy patches and a clean onion bite.
About this dish
Scallions do two jobs here: the white slices soften into the batter and sweeten, while the green tops stay bright and give a grassy crunch. The batter should be pourable enough to swirl across the pan in one tilt, thin enough that the metal shows through in places. As it sets you hear the sizzle drop from a sharp crackle to a low whisper, and the smell moves from raw egg to toasted onion. Roll it while warm; cooled, the round stiffens and cracks instead of folding.
Before you start
Equipment: Skillet. Tap the ingredient checkboxes as you go.
Method
6 steps · tick each one off as you finish it.
Mix the batter
Whisk 180 g egg with 180 ml cold water and 1/2 tsp salt for 30 seconds, then beat in 100 g flour off the heat until smooth. This is the point to stop: the batter coats a spoon in a thin, even film with no lumps.
Add the scallions
Fold 90 g sliced scallions and 1 tsp sesame oil into the batter, then let it rest off the heat for 10 minutes. Look for this: the green pieces stay suspended and the batter has thickened enough to cling to them instead of pooling.
Heat the pan
Set a 26 cm skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, add 1 tbsp oil and swirl it up the sides. The cue is simple: the oil shimmers and a spoonful of batter spreads on its own with a soft hiss, before any smoke appears.
Swirl the round
Pour in about 160 ml batter and tilt the pan once so it coats the base in a thin 24 cm round. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes; it is ready when the surface turns matte and the rim lifts at the edges.
Flip and brown
Slide a spatula under the round and flip, then cook over medium-low heat for 90 seconds with 1 tsp oil drizzled at the rim. It is done when the second side shows scattered brown freckles and the scallion green has darkened but not blackened.
Fold, cut and serve
Slide the round onto a board, fold it into thirds and cut into 4 pieces. Stir 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp vinegar and 1/4 tsp chilli flakes together, sprinkle with 1 tsp sesame seeds and serve within 2 minutes, while the pancake is supple.
Tips that matter
- Resting the batter for 10 minutes hydrates the flour, so the round bends instead of tearing when you fold it.
- Do not overfill the pan; a 24 cm round in a 26 cm skillet is thin enough to set in 2 minutes without going leathery.
Easy variations
- Scatter 40 g shredded cooked chicken over the batter before flipping for a more filling pancake.
- Add 1 tsp finely grated ginger to the batter and serve with 1 tbsp chilli crisp instead of the vinegar dip.
Questions that come up
Why does my pancake tear when I flip it?
It was too thick or the first side had not set. Use 160 ml batter at most in a 26 cm pan and wait until the surface is fully matte before sliding the spatula under.
Can I make these ahead for lunchboxes?
Yes, but cool them flat rather than folded, stack with paper and eat within a day; reheat 30 seconds per side in a dry skillet.
Nutrition, roughly
| Energy | 285 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 13 g |
| Carbohydrate | 32 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
Estimated per serving from standard ingredients, rounded. Treat it as a guide, not clinical data.
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