Today we’re sharing two recipes for a scallion pancake dipping sauce. One is spicy and tangy, and one is simple and sweet.
While in China, scallion pancakes are not normally served with dipping sauces, we’ve gotten many requests over the years for one.
There are many ways to enjoy a scallion pancake, from Taiwanese Beef Rolls to Shortcut Jian Bing. My favorite is how I enjoyed them in childhood—plain and unadorned.
However, we understand wanting something tasty to dip them in, so Kaitlin and I took on the challenge. We each came up with our own recipe. See which one you prefer!
Easy and Delicious Scallion Pancake Dipping Sauce
If you love Scallion Pancakes and want to have them with a sauce, you may simply dip them into a dish of soy sauce. But with some additional ingredients, you can easily create an impressive and delicious dipping sauce.
It’s very convenient if, like us, you always keep some store-bought packages of scallion pancakes on hand for last-minute guests and party appetizers!
The concept of scallion pancake dipping sauce does not really exist in China, so it is totally made up based on my own taste profile. That said, I know many of you are looking for this kind of recipe, and that so many of you are also enjoying our Perfect Dumpling Sauce.
A Mother vs. Daughter Matchup
My scallion pancake dipping sauce is a classic mixture of many yummy things: garlic, scallion, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili oil, and sesame oil. There’s also a secret ingredient of oyster sauce to add some extra savoriness and a salty bite.
Kaitlin’s sauce, on the other hand, is inspired by a local Chinese snack shop in Jersey that slings no fuss dumplings, noodles, and scallion pancakes. They serve their scallion pancakes with a little container of sweet bean sauce, an unorthodox move that Kaitlin has really come to enjoy!
While I may think it’s weird, that didn’t stop Kaitlin from grabbing a jar of hoisin sauce, along with sesame oil and light soy sauce to make her very straightforward version. All three ingredients are ones that we’ve seen at mainstream grocery stores, so anyone can make it.
You can decide which one is your favorite. Let us know in the comments!
Our Chili Oil as a key Ingredient
Like many of our recipes, we call for our homemade chili oil. The oil has layers of flavor from many aromatics, and a fresh toasty flavor that lasts even when the chili oil is a month or two old. Trust us and thousands of others, and give it a try!
You can also use your favorite store-bought chili oil or chili sauce if you like.
All of Our Scallion Pancake Recipes
By now, we’ve created many scallion pancake recipes, each with their own special characteristics. The most popular one lately has been the scallion pancake recipe in our cookbook, inspired by what I enjoyed in my childhood in Shanghai.
They are small discs, perfect for snacking. Plenty of oil (like the street vendors of my youth) means they fry up crispy and chewy every time.
These shortcut Easy Scallion Pancakes are pretty smart. You use dumpling wrappers, pile them up, and layer them with oil, salt and scallions. Then you roll them out, and that’s it! It’s a fantastic way to use spare wrappers after you make a batch of dumplings!
9-Layer Scallion Pancakes are all about the chewy layers! This recipe uses techniques that we learned in Beijing from watching street vendors make scallion pancakes.
We also have a Shanghai Scallion Pancake recipe, which employs a oil and flour roux to get super flaky layers.
Shou Zhua Bing (手抓饼) are not scallion pancakes per se, but are similar. They are fragrant from Sichuan peppercorns and star anise, in addition to scallions. Designed to be torn by hand instead of cut into wedges, the flaky layered texture means you get a great mix of chewy and crispy.
You can serve all of these options with either one of our dipping sauces!
Scallion Pancake Dipping Sauce Recipe Instructions
All you have to do is mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl!
Judy’s Version:
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion
- 2 tablespoons water
- 4 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili sauce or oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Kaitlin’s scallion pancake dipping sauce:
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
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Recipe
Scallion Pancake Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Judy's Version:
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion
- 2 tablespoons water
- 4 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili sauce or oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Kaitlin's Version:
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- For either version, simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, and serve with your favorite scallion pancakes!
