SHALLOT PANCAKES with black garlic oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil
10 cloves garlic
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 tsp sea salt
300g plain flour
pinch of salt
160ml water
half a bunch of spring onions (approx. 5)
olive oil
30ml soy sauce
30ml chinkiang vinegar
1 tsp mirin
1 birdseye chilli, finely sliced

1. To make black garlic oil: heat vegetable oil and garlic in small pot, stirring, until garlic literally turns black. Turn off heat and add sesame oil and salt. Let cool then blend on high and set aside.

2. Combine flour, water and salt and knead until smooth. You can do this by hand. I used my kitchen aid with the dough hook attachment.

3. Set aside in an oiled, covered bowl while you prepare the rest.

4. Combine soy sauce, chinkiang vinegar, mirin and chilli in a saucer to serve as dipping sauce

5. Divide dough into about eight pieces. Roll each piece out to about half a cm thickness. Roll up as though you’re making sushi then coil into a snail shell shape. Roll out again. Top with finely sliced shallots and roll up again, first like a sushi roll and again, coiled in to a snail shell shape. Set aside while you do the rest.

6. When you’re ready to serve, roll each snail dough out as thin as possible (this will be the thickness of your sliced shallots), heat oil in a pan over high heat and cook each one until golden. Drain on paper towel. Once all are cooked, season with salt, drizzle with garlic oil and serve with dipping sauce.

Notes

• You can find chinkiang vinegar in the supermarket. It’s delicious. Once you have it at home you’ll find lots of uses for it.

• Thanks to Lara for the recipe request!