When I was testing out a recipe for scallion pancakes, I happened to have made an umami oil with celery leaves and scallions, so I figured, why not infuse my dough with some of that? The dough itself was a subtle green color(which might not have photographed too clearly, but I promise you that there was green in there!), while the flavor of the scallion and celery that I used in the oil permeated throughout the dough, giving it a pleasant, savory flavor. Scallion pancakes are a fond childhood favorite of mine; this rich, crispy dough studded with fragrant, nutty green onion is not something you would think a kid would eat, but it is actually a very pleasant side dish that you would find at most Chinese/Taiwanese restaurants! What makes mine unique in this case is the usage of the umami oil, which maximizes the flavor of the green onion. This recipe itself is relatively simple, but my main piece of advice would be to not overmix the dough. While you might think that gluten development results in an easy to roll pancake, it also results in a dough that is rubbery and tough. The less gluten, the crispier the dough can get, so as soon as it mixes together, you are good to go. For searing it, medium heat is your best friend. Going at it with too high of a temperature will result in burning the scallions before the dough is cooked. So long as you keep those two things in mind, you will have a crispy, light scallion pancake reminiscent of a Chinese/Taiwanese restaurant!

Makes 8 pancakes:
For the umami oil:
1 cup celery leaves
2 scallions, julienned
1/2 cup olive oil
a pinch of salt

In salted water, blanch the celery leaves and scallions for 10 seconds, then shock them all in cold water for 1 minute. Transfer the leaves into a blender and puree with olive oil and salt until smooth. Pass through a cheese cloth to remove any impurities.

For the scallion pancake dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour, in two parts
1 cup boiling hot water
1/4 cup umami oil, in two parts
4 scallions, minced
a pinch of salt

In a bowl, mix together one part of the flour, boiling water, 2 tbsp of the umami oil, scallions, and salt until a dough forms, then knead into that the remaining flour, mixing until just combined. Allow the dough to rest before dividing it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece out as thinly as possible, then brush each piece with the rest of the umami oil. Fold each piece into quarters, then re-roll them as thinly as possible.

In a nonstick pan, sear the pancakes on each side for roughly 2 minutes on medium heat.