For the dough

Cup of Yum
1. In a bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add the hot water while stirring the flour with a fork or spoon to mix in the hot water with the flour. After the hot water is added, stir to form small clumps of flour.
2. Next, add the room temperature water, while mixing the dough. Add just enough water to moisten all of the flour (and there are no dry spots of flour), and form a scraggly dough.
3. When there are no dry spots in the flour and the dough is formed, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 45 minutes. The dough should be soft, but not too wet or sticky.
4. After 45 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl and knead it for a few minutes until smooth. The dough will be very soft and a little sticky, but avoid adding too much flour. The more you knead the dough, the less sticky it will become, but if you add too much flour, the dough will become firm and dry.
5. Divide the dough into 8 portions (about 100 - 110 g each). Roll each portion into a smooth ball and place them on a tray or in a container.
6. Pour the oil over the dough and make sure to lightly coat each ball with the oil. Cover and let the dough sit for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.

Prepare the filling and oil paste

1. Remove the white ends of the scallions, and finely slice the light green and dark green parts. If the scallions are very thick, cut them in half lengthwise before slicing. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the flour, 5 spice powder, salt, and the szechuan peppercorns (if using).
3. Pour in the vegetable oil or melted lard, and sesame oil, and stir to form a paste. Set aside.

Optional - to add more flavor to the oil paste

1. You can infuse the oil with more flavor before adding it to the flour, if you prefer. To do this, place the oil in a small saucepan, along with your aromatics of choice. I like to add the white parts of the scallions and szechuan peppercorns. Cardamom pods and star anise are also good additions.
2. When the oil is hot and the spring onions are sizzling in the oil, remove the oil from the heat and let it sit for about 15 - 20 minutes. Strain the oil into the flour mix and stir to combine. Discard the aromatics.

Prepping the scallion pancakes

1. Take one dough portion and place it on a rolling surface.
2. Stretch it out with your hands into a circle (or rectangle). You can also use a rolling pin to roll it out, but I prefer to use my hands to stretch it out. The dough should be stretched out to about a 1 - 2 mm thickness. It’s OK if it’s a little see-through as well.
3. Place 1 - 1.5 tbsp of the sesame paste on the dough and spread it out in a thin layer. Sprinkle the chopped scallions on top as well.
4. Roll up the dough like a cinnamon roll. Once you have a rolled up dough log, gently stretch it.
5. Start coiling up the dough log into a fairl tight spiral. Tuck in the end of the log under the coil.
6. Firmly press on the rolled up coil for the dough to stick together, and then place it back on the tray / plate that was oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and repeat with the rest of the dough.
7. Allow the coiled dough to rest for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1 hour.

Cooking scallion pancakes

1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
2. Roll out the dough to a desired thickness. I prefer a thin scallion pancake - which is about 8 inches in diameter. Or you can also roll it out to 6 inches in diameter for a thicker pancake.
3. Drizzle a little oil (½ tsp) on the heated pan, and cook the pancake for about 2 - 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp on both sides, and soft and cooked through on the inside. The cook time can vary depending on the thickness of the pancake, so adjust the heat of the pan and cook time accordingly.
4. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce

1. In a bowl, place all the ingredients and whisk to combine.
2. Add about 2 - 3 tbsp of water if needed, and mix well.
3. Serve with the scallion pancakes.