Save Time On Homemade Scallion Pancakes With Dumpling Wrappers

A longstanding Chinese tradition, scallion pancakes are griddle-fried flatbread rounds dotted with fresh scallions that create the perfect balance between crispy and chewy. While this popular street food snack and restaurant appetizer comprises a mere handful of ingredients, it's a hard recipe to execute; unlike pancakes where a liquid batter bakes into dough on the griddle, scallion pancakes require you to make the pancake dough, roll it out, and shape it into the desired round before frying it.

Luckily, you can bypass the complexities of sticky pancake dough by using pre-made dumpling wrappers instead. Dumpling wrappers, like traditional scallion pancake dough, use the same simple three-ingredient mixture of water, flour, and salt. However, the manufacturer has done the brunt of the work it takes to mix, form, and roll them into rounds. Since the formation of the dough is the most difficult and time-consuming step in a scallion pancake recipe, dumpling wrappers cut both time and effort in half.

All you have to do is sprinkle fresh scallions over layer upon layer of five thin dumpling wrappers, using a modest brushing of oil to anchor the scallions and seal the dough together. Then, you'll give the scallions a quick flattening with a rolling pin before placing them in hot oil to fry. The dumpling wrapper dough will transform into the same chewy, aromatic-infused interior and browned, crispy exterior as scratch-made scallion pancakes.

Circular dumpling wrappers are readily available at most major grocery stores in the refrigerated section, encompassing both Chinese and Japanese brands. In a pinch, you could use the thinner, square-shaped wonton wrappers.

While you won't have to make the dough from scratch, you will still need to make use of a rolling pin when assembling the dumpling wrapper scallion pancakes. It's important to roll both the top and bottom layers of the dumpling wrapper to create an even, round border. Consequently, you'll first roll the top layer into the desired circumference, then flip the pancake over and roll the bottom layer until it's in line with the top layer.

A thinner pancake will crisp up easier and quicker, while also creating perfectly flaky, delicate layers. Thus, limiting your pancakes to five wrapper stacks is ideal. That said, you can add more layers or even double the layers for a chewier, denser pancake, but it'll need longer cooking times per side.

You can also use the dumpling wrapper hack to create other griddle-fried flatbread varieties using different aromatics, herbs, or even a sprinkling of cheese. For example, you could use a mixture of scallions, leek, chard, and feta for a take on the Turkish flatbread, gozleme.