Step 1: Making the Dough
- 3 cups bread flour (or all-purpose)
- 1 cup just boiled water
- 1/3 cup cold water
To make the dough, place the flour into a large bowl and pour the boiling water over the flour. Stir quickly with a fork, wooden spatula, or even chopsticks to combine the ingredients. The mixture will be quite thick and dry. Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes and then add the cold water. Dump the mixture to the countertop and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it is smooth. If it is too sticky add a bit more flour — it should be just a bit tacky but still pliable and smooth.
Lastly, transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Step 2: Rolling the Cakes
- 6 tbsp chopped green onions
- 8 tbsp non-dairy butter, softened (for brushing)
- sea salt (for seasoning)
- freshly ground black pepper (for seasoning)
- extra flour (for dusting)
To roll the cakes, transfer the dough to a floured work surface and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and then form each piece into a small round. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a 10-inch round. Brush the dough lightly with softened butter (or use vegetable oil), season well with salt and pepper, and a tablespoon of green onions over the surface. Note: You can be somewhat liberal with the seasoning of the green onion cakes as they are essentially just flour and water, so a good bit of salt, freshly ground pepper will really help. We also sometimes even sprinkle on a bit of this Faux Chicken Bouillon Powder before we roll up the cakes.
Next, roll the dough up like a cigar, then into a coil. At this stage lightly dust the cakes with flour and allow them to rest for 15 minutes.
Next, on a lightly floured surface, gently press the coiled dough down a bit to flatten it out slightly. Then roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick pancakes.
Step 3: Frying the Cakes
- 1 to 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)
- soy sauce (for dipping)
- sambal oelek (for dipping)
- red rice vinegar (for dipping)
To cook the cakes, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add enough oil to cover its surface. When the oil is shimmering, fry each cake until crispy and golden brown; approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Shake the pan as needed. Turn with tongs and cook the other side for a couple of minutes longer, or until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
The cooked cakes can be kept on a paper towel-lined baking tray in a slightly warm oven until you have finished frying all of them.
Cut into wedges and serve immediately with a mix of soy sauce, red vinegar, sambal oelek for dipping.
Alternatively, the onion cakes can be served with this delicious Asian Dipping Sauce.
Chef's Notes
Keep green onion cakes on hand by storing them in the freezer. After rolling them out, stack them in between layers of floured parchment paper or plastic wrap, so they don’t stick to each other. Take out as many as you need by easily prying them apart. Thaw slightly in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds by placing the onion cakes on the parchment paper (or onto a paper towel). Alternatively, they can be defrosted on the countertop for 5 minutes or until they are mostly thawed. Fry and serve.