DIY Trader Joe's Scallion Pancakes (Taiwanese)
Stock your freezer with homemade goodness using my Trader Joe's copycat recipe! These crispy, flaky, savory pancakes are an absolute delight to eat, are super cheap to make, and taste just like the discontinued favorite.Closely adapted from Serious Eats
Ingredients
- 3 C AP Flour
- 1.5 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1-1.5 C Boiling Water
- 1 large bunch Scallions, Chopped divided
- 3-4 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
Optional Dipping Sauce
- 4.5 tablespoon Soy Sauce or Tamari
- 4.5 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar or black vinegar
- 1.5 teaspoon Fresh Ginger grated or minced
- 4.5 teaspoon Agave Nectar
- 4.5 teaspoon Sesame Seeds toasted
- 1-2 cloves Garlic optional
- Chili Crisp optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade, add flour and salt.With the processor running, slowly drizzle in boiling water.Process for 10-15 seconds, until dough forms a ball that rides around the center of the processor. If your dough doesn’t come together, add 1 tablespoon boiling water at a time until it only just comes together.Transfer to a floured work surface (I use my big cutting board here for easier cleanup) and knead a few times until dough is smooth. If your dough feels too sticky, sprinkle flour on top of the dough and work it in. Try not to overwork the dough, stopping kneading as soon as possible. Shape into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, covering with either a damp towel, plastic wrap, or bee’s wrap being careful to keep the moisture in. Rest 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Make sauce by combining soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, 2 tablespoon scallions, fresh ginger, agave, and sesame seeds.Set sauce aside at room temperature.
- Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, shaping each into a smooth, round ball. Keep any pieces you aren’t working with covered until you need them. On a floured work surface, roll out the ball in a circle until about ⅛” thick, or about 8” in diameter. Using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of toasted sesame oil across the top. Roll into a cigar shape, keeping the roll as tight as possible. Now roll into a nautilus shell shape, tucking the tail underneath.
- Squish the shell gently with the palm of your hand and then roll it out with a rolling pin to the same thickness as before. Brush with another thin layer of toasted sesame oil. Sprinkle with ¼ remaining chopped scallions. Roll into a cigar shape, keeping the roll as tight as possible. Now roll into a nautilus shell shape, tucking the tail underneath. Squish the shell gently with the palm of your hand and then roll it out with a rolling pin to the same thickness as before. One pancake down! Repeat with the remaining 3 pancakes.
- Heat ¼ C neutral (vegetable, grapeseed, canola, peanut) oil in a cast iron or nonstick pan over medium high heat (if your stovetop is like mine and basically has three temperatures, I’d stick to the medium side) until shimmering. Add one pancake, gently shaking the pan back and forth so it doesn’t stick. When golden brown, flip it and cook until golden brown on the second side. Remove pancake to paper-towel lined plate to drain excess oil, then sprinkle with salt while still hot. Repeat with all pancakes.
- Slice into quarters and EAT WHILE THEY’RE STILL HOT, dipping into sauce for all that flavor. Enjoy!
Notes
Freezing & Reheating
- Freeze Raw - You are more than welcome to shape and roll your DIY Trader Joe's green onion pancakes, then separate them with parchment paper and place into a freezer-safe zip-top bag raw. Remove as much air as possible, then freeze for up to three months. No need to defrost them when you're ready to eat—simply fry in the pan as you would if they were fresh, adding a minute or so of cook time as needed.
- You can also freeze leftover fried scallion pancakes. Allow them to cool fully to room temperature, then separate with pieces of parchment paper and transfer to a freezer bag, pressing out as much air as possible. They can be frozen for 2-3 months.
- Leftover dipping sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, though the green onions will wilt considerably. If you don’t add the scallions (or strain them out), it should keep nearly indefinitely in the fridge. It can also be frozen.
- To reheat fried scallion pancakes from frozen, you can either:
- Stovetop - Use a dry, non-stick or seasoned cast iron pan set over medium heat, flipping every few minutes until warmed through.
- Toast in a toaster oven set to “dark toast.”
- Air fry for about 4-7 minutes at 350ºF, or until heated through and re-crisped.
- Use BOILING Water - This is crucial for achieving crisp, flaky layers. Why? Hot water “breaks” the proteins in wheat flour, which means the gluten can’t build up and make the texture chewy or tough.
- Work Ahead - you can make the pancake dough up to a night in advance, meaning dinner will be super easy to get on the table when you're ready. Just pull it out of the fridge about 30 minutes in advance to take the chill off and make the dough easier to work with. The dipping sauce (sans green onions) will keep nearly indefinitely in the fridge.
- Roll tightly at every stage. Eliminate as much space between the layers of the swirl as possible.
- To peel fresh ginger quickly, use the back of a spoon!
- Use Proper Storage - We all know groceries are expensive these days, so make sure you’re taking care to get the best life out of everything.
- Scallions - Store with the roots submerged in a shallow glass of water, cover the tops with a plastic bag, and refrigerate. This should help keep them for several weeks!
Note that you can also regrow scallions in water near a window or grow light to cut back on food waste. They won’t grow as large as they were the first time, but you’ll still be able to eke out a little extra! - Scallion Pancakes - Don’t forget to use parchment paper to separate your pancakes, and make sure they are fully cooled (if cooked) before stacking and storing. This will prevent condensation from gathering, which can speed up the freezer burn process. Also, I recommend wrapping the whole stack in another layer of plastic wrap for added protection ~or~ make sure that your zip-top bags are built for the freezer.
- Scallions - Store with the roots submerged in a shallow glass of water, cover the tops with a plastic bag, and refrigerate. This should help keep them for several weeks!
Nutrition
Calories: 499kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 12gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 1527mgPotassium: 198mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 60IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!