In Season Eight, Moveable Feast with Relish visited Boston, where the vibrant and diverse immigrant community has been making a delicious mark on the food scene. Among those blazing a trail is James Beard award-nominee Irene Li who chooses only local ingredients to prepare her flaky, easy-to-make scallion pancakes.

Makes four 7-inch pancakes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for work surface
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for serving
  • ¾ cup boiling water, plus additional as necessary
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
  • 1 ⅓ cups plus 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions (from approximately two bunches),
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or black vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon chile oil or hot sauce (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus additional for frying

TO PREPARE

STEP ONE. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Gradually begin to add boiling water, stirring until water is incorporated and no dry bits of flour remain. Begin kneading in the bowl, pushing dough against the side of the bowl and doubling it back on itself until cohesive and slightly smooth. Add water by the tablespoon as necessary.

STEP TWO. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for an additional five to eight minutes, until a smooth and slightly tacky dough is formed. Shape into a round, transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest one to four hours at room temperature. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

STEP THREE. While dough rests, make dipping sauce. Combine soy sauce, sugar, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons scallions, vinegar and hot sauce, if desired. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

STEP FOUR. Divide dough into four pieces, form into small rounds and lightly flour a work surface. Working with one piece at a time and keeping unused dough covered with a kitchen towel, roll each round into an 8-inch circle. Lightly brush top of dough with sesame and vegetable oil mixture, sprinkle with one-fourth of chopped scallions, and roll dough into a tight, cigar-like roll.

STEP FIVE. Coil the dough into a spiral, like a snail shell, tucking the end piece of the spiral underneath, into the center of the underside of the dough. Press down with your palm to seal and set aside, covered with a kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough, oil and scallions, flouring surface as necessary. Roll each spiraled piece of dough into a thin 7-inch round, about ⅜-inch thick, flouring dough. If it becomes difficult to roll dough into a circle of this thinness, let it sit covered for 10 to 15 minutes, and try again.

STEP SIX. Heat a griddle or cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Add enough vegetable oil to generously coat the surface. Add scallion pancakes and cook, flipping once and adding oil as necessary until deeply golden and crisp, about two to four minutes per side. Pancakes should be fully cooked through. Lower heat as necessary to prevent over-browning. Sprinkle finished pancakes with salt and transfer to oven on a baking sheet to keep warm as other pancakes fry. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Moveable Feast with Relish, produced by GBH and Relish.com, takes viewers on a culinary journey of discovery, transporting them to diverse regions of the world to explore vibrant food cultures. Our hosts team up with the world’s most innovative chefs, known for their use of fresh regional ingredients, to create spontaneous delicious feasts in unique settings for friends and family that will inspire home cooks everywhere. It’s a culinary jam-fest that you won’t want to miss.