Dearest fine readers of Mirror,
Happy fall! We’re back after a bit of a break and so excited to return to the sharing and celebration of recipes and stories in this column. The fall can evoke nostalgia, and this week, Kent is sharing a recipe reminiscent of a particular place and many happy memories.
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The Richmond district, the perpetually foggy neighborhood on the western side of San Francisco where I grew up, is in my totally unbiased opinion, one of the world’s best neighborhoods, certainly with some of the best food. Clement Street, one of my favorite streets in the neighborhood, is sort of a second Chinatown with many Chinese markets, delis, bakeries and restaurants. My memories of eating scallion pancakes, this week’s recipe, are usually late on a chilly night, ducking into a favorite like CQ Noodles or Sichuan Tasty with my friends, or, during a recent visit back, trying a new place like Dumpling King and Chef Xiong. I always make sure we order scallion pancakes, which never disappoint. A bite of these pancakes instantly takes me back to those many nights on Clement Street, talking and laughing with my friends in the warmth of our favorite restaurants.
The pancakes, or chung yau bang, are a traditional part of Shanghai dim sum breakfasts and, made from wheat-based dough instead of pancake-like batter, are really a sort of fried flatbread, with cousins like Indian parathas and Korean pajeon. Recently, away from San Francisco, I tried making them myself, serving them alongside two other homemade dishes, Chinese eggplant and vegetable lo mein. I found the pancakes to be a perfect dish to master at home. Made with humble ingredients, they are salty, a little greasy and totally addictive. Perfect for sharing and a source of warmth and comfort for the brisk autumn evenings to come.
This recipe is adapted from the “Lucky Peach” cookbook.
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
½ cup vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
1 bunch of scallions
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
Combine the flour and shortening in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook on low speed. Pour 1 ½ cups warm water into the bowl and mix for a few minutes. Add 2 tsp salt and 1/3 cup warm water. The dough should be smooth and hold a fingerprint. Wrap in plastic and let rest for 10 minutes.
Separate dough into 6 pieces. Flour the work surface, then flatten one of the pieces into a circle. Generously top with sesame oil, scallions and salt.
Fold the piece of dough as if rolling cinnamon rolls; the center of the roll should form a spiral. Repeat 6 times, then let rest for 10 minutes.
Then, flouring as you go, flatten each cylindrical roll. You can use a rolling pin or the palm of your hands to flatten. It should form a circular shape. My first few turned out more like ovals than round pancakes, so it may take a few tries to get the hang of it.
Fill a large skillet with about a quarter to half an inch of peanut oil, then fry the pancakes, flipping until crisp and browned.
If you want, serve with a quick Shanghai-ish dipping sauce, a 1:1 mixture of soy sauce and Chinkiang vinegar.
Cooking with Kent and Vidushi is a cooking column co-written by Kent Friel '26 and Vidushi Sharma ’27. If you’d like to submit a recipe or cooking question, email it to kandvcook@gmail.com
Kent Friel ‘26 is an executive editor at The Dartmouth.
Vidushi Sharma ’27 is a managing editor and news reporter. She is from Hanover, N.H. and is majoring in Government and minoring in International Studies and Sociology. On campus, Vidushi is a Dickey Center War and Peace Fellow, an educational access advisor for the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact and an associate editor for the Dartmouth Law Journal.
