These spiced Scallion and Thyme Pancakes are thin, flaky, and rip apart delicious. A simple vegan/vegetarian recipe that’s sure to please!
When you think of scallion pancakes, “Caribbean food” is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But if you look at the recipes I’ve posted on the blog so far, you’ll notice scallion are a very popular ingredient in Caribbean cooking.
So today, I’m remixing the scallion pancake with some West Indian and East African flavors. I wanted to respect the simplicity of the traditional scallion pancake while playing around with some of the flavors. And I think I’ve come up with something really special! Read on to learn more.
The recipe…
The ingredients for these spiced scallion and thyme pancakes start off like a typical scallion pancake. Of course there’s flour, salt, warm water, and chopped scallions. But in addition, I also use sauteed onions, thyme, and a little berbere spice.
Why thyme? Scallion and thyme are like best friends in West Indian cooking, if you use one, you have to use the other. So who am I to separate the two?! Plus, thyme adds a sweet, lemony note to the pancakes, which works well with the savory scallions and onions.
Next is the berbere spice. A few scallion pancake recipes that I came across use Chinese five spice (including the one from healthy nibbles that I used to learn how to properly shape the pancakes). I didn’t have any Chinese five spice, but I did have berbere, an Ethiopian spice blend. Both Chinese five spice powder and berbere are fluid recipes, meaning the ingredients vary depending on the Chinese or Ethiopian cook preparing them. That being said, Chinese five spice typically has star anise, peppercorns, cloves/all spice, and cinnamon and berbere spice powder often includes peppers, all spice, and cinnamon, along with various other ingredients. If you don’t have Berbere spice, you can substitute with Chinese five spice. Both ingredients give the pancakes a little something extra. But you can also leave out the spice if you prefer.
Forming the pancakes is one the best parts of this process. There’s just something about kneading and rolling out dough that helps to relieve stress! Once you form the dough and let it rest, cut into four pieces. Roll each piece out into a long rectangle. I find it helps to do this on a lightly greased surface, or on a silicone mat since the dough can move around.
Sprinkle on your sauteed onions, chopped scallions, thyme, and berbere spice, then fold the dough into thirds and roll into a log. Curl the log loosely into itself until you form a flower-like shape.
Then, use a rolling pin to roll out the “flower” into a large pancake. All this rolling and folding will create flaky layers that make this scallion pancake so delicious.
Cook the pancakes on a flattop or in a lightly greased cast iron pan until golden brown and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
And that’s it! These East meets West (Indies) scallion pancakes are a perfect appetizer.
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If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know by rating it and leaving a comment below. I would love to hear from you. And don’t forget to tag #sweetandsorrel on Instagram!
Scallion and Thyme Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 stalks scallion, chopped
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 tbsp berbere spice (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Whisk together flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, slowly add water to the mixture and knead on low for approximately 5 minutes, or until dough forms a smooth ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let stand on your countertop for 1 hour.NOTE: If you are not using a stand mixer, slowly add warm water to flour and salt mixture and use a fork to gently fold the ingredients together. Then use your hands to knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until dough forms a smooth ball.
- While the dough is resting, prepare the filling. Finely chop scallions, being careful only to use the green parts of the scallion. Remove stems from thyme and reserve the leaves. To prepare the onions, heat 1/2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add finely diced onions and cook until onions become translucent, approximately 4-6 minutes. Set aside.
- After dough has rested for 1 hour, remove dough and cut into four equal pieces. Take one piece of dough and place on a lightly greased surface (I used a silicone mat). Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a thin rectangle, about 15 in x 10 in. You should be able to see through the dough without any tears forming. Brush oil onto surface of dough, then top with sauteed onions, chopped scallions, and fresh thyme. Sprinkle some berbere spice on top (optional).
- Fold over both ends of the dough towards the middle, then roll into a log. Curl the log into itself to form a flower. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into the shape of a large round pancake. I like to make each pancake as I go, cooking one pancake while I make another.
- Heat a flat top griddle and spray with cooking spray or lightly grease with oil. Cook each pancake for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer pancake to a cooling rack or a plate lined with a paper towel.
- These pancakes are best served immediately. Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce!
Notes
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