Flakey Ramp Pancakes with Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce
This dish is a take on Chinese scallion pancakes, substituting spring ramps in for the more traditional green onion. Utilizing the greens for the dough and the whites for the dipping sauce allows you to use the entirety of this delicious allium, getting the most flavor out of the season. By adding boiling water to the flour, you denature and destroy much of the gluten proteins in the dough, creating an easily manipulated dough that is tender with just the right amount of chew. Rolling and coiling the dough with ample amounts of sesame oil leads to lamination, resulting in a pastry that is perfectly crisp on the outside and flaky on the inside.
Ingredients
- Pancakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ½ tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 1 cup boiling water
- up to ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
- 10 ramp greens thinly sliced
- Dipping sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 10 ramp whites thinly sliced
- For cooking
- neutral flavored oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar and sesame seeds. Create a well in the center and carefully pour in the water, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula until the water is mixed in and the dough is warm to the touch. Tilt the mixture out onto a large surface, bring it together to form a shaggy dough with your hands, and knead thoroughly for 5-7 minutes until soft, adding additional flour if necessary. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and let rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the fridge.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and divide into four even pieces, shaping each into a smooth ball. Working one at a time, use a rolling pin to roll into a disk about 8-inches in diameter. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, spread a thin layer of sesame oil over top to within ¼ inch of the edge. Roll the disk up like a jelly roll, coil into a tight spiral, and flatten gently with your palm. Re-roll with your pin into another 8-inch disk. Brush this disk with another layer of sesame oil and a quarter of your ramp greens. Again, roll the disk up like a jelly roll, coil into a tight spiral, flatten gently, and roll into a 7-inch disk. It’s okay if some of the greens poke through the dough. Set the pancake aside and repeat with remaining three dough balls.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside at room temperature.
- To cook the pancakes, heat a couple tablespoons of oil in an 8-inch nonstick, cast-iron or carbon steel pan over medium heat until shimmering. Place one pancake into the hot oil and cook, shaking the pan gently, for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Flip with tongs and continue to cook, shaking the pan gently, for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and repeat with remaining 3 pancakes, adding more oil if necessary. Cut each pancake into 6 wedges and serve immediately with dipping sauce.
