Adapted from a cookbook by Pei Mei, apparently.
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 6 tablespoons shortening or lard
- 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 3 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup peanut oil, plus more as needed
- In a bowl, mix the boiling water into the flour with chopsticks. Cover and wait 3 minutes.
- Add the cold water. Knead until elastic, then rest the dough for 15 minutes.
- Roll the dough into a thick snake and cut into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a circle at least 6 inches in diameter.
- Use a spoon to smear 1/2 tablespoon of shortening on the pancake. Garnish with green onions (about 1/2 tablespoon) and kosher salt (a good coating, but not too much - you’ll figure it out after the first couple).
- Roll up the pancake like a jelly roll, then curl it around itself like a snail laying on its side. Press flat and roll out into a pancake. For extra flakiness, roll it up, curl it, and press it flat again. In the end it should be about as thick as a #2 pencil or slightly thicker.
- Fry in enough oil to cover the pancake. Turn as needed. The pancake is done when the outside is brown and crispy and the inside is flaky.
- Cut once horizontally and 4-5 times vertically. Serve hot.