Ramps (or wild leeks) are finally here! One of my favorite seasonal vegetables, they’re only available for a few weeks a year. Ramps are a delicious cross between garlic, onions and leeks. Here in NYC, you know they’ve arrived when chefs all over the city add ramp dishes onto their menus. I love coming up with different ways to incorporate them into my cooking. I’ve been craving Chinese scallion pancakes, so I decided to make a version using ramps. I found the perfect scallion pancake recipe on my friend Diana’s blog.
For the pancake dough, I used a mix of white and whole wheat flour. To roll out the dough, I followed Diana’s detailed step-by-step process which was very helpful. My husband and I enjoyed the pancakes plain or with a dipping sauce made from a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and more chopped ramps.
Click for recipe…
Prepare the dough and let rise for about 30 minutes.
Wash and dry ramps, then cut off roots.
Finely chop the ramps and set aside.
When dough has risen, cut out a small round and roll out a thin circle on a lightly floured surface.
Lightly brush some oil onto the pancake dough, then top with diced ramps and a pinch of salt.
Carefully roll the pancake in, then roll again lengthwise, like a snail.
With the spiral facing up, roll the dough out into a thin circle.
On a flat oiled pan on medium-high heat, fry the pancakes for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
Serve the pancakes alone or with a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil and diced ramps.
Ramp Pancakes Recipe
In a small bowl, add yeast into warm water to dissolve, then stir in sugar. To prepare the dough, half and sift flour into 2 separate bowls. In one bowl, stir in yeast-water until mixture forms a dough. In the other bowl, to the flour add 1 teaspoon of salt and slowly pour in a 1/2 cup of boiling water, quickly stirring until dough forms. Mix in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. On a floured surface, combine the 2 doughs and knead both together. Place in a bowl and cover with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rise for about 30-40 minutes.
When dough has risen, on a floured surface, slice dough into small balls and roll each out flat into circles. Brush on a little oil and then top with some chopped ramps and a pinch of salt. Roll the circle in, then roll again lengthwise, like a snail (see photos). With the spiral facing up, roll out flat into a thin circle.
To cook, heat a flat skillet on medium-high and add oil. Pan-fry the pancakes in batches for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve alone or with preferred dipping sauce. For my sauce, I paired it with a combination of 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar and finely chopped ramps. Freeze whatever you don’t cook.
Total Time: 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes for dough)
Yield: makes about 20-25 pancakes
print recipe
[if you enjoyed this post, please sign up for my newsletter to get the latest recipes]
i’ve been pining for ramps since november. and now they’re finally back, i think i just found the first recipe i’ll do with them!! such a clever twist to an old favorite. i’m so excited to try this!!
Awesome Lannie, let me know how the pancakes turn out for you! I’m so happy ramps are here 🙂
These look so yummy. I can almost taste them! 😀 Will have to try.
They’re really yummy, with or without a dipping sauce 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Sarah!