Scallion pancakes

Mix the flour and salt; pour in the warm water in batches, stirring with chopsticks.

Knead by hand; the dough is sticky, so use a little dry flour without upsetting the balance. About 8 minutes; it need not be perfectly smooth.

Turn the dough in an oiled bowl to coat; press plastic film directly onto it, pushing out all the air so no dry skin forms, and refrigerate overnight.

Make the flour oil: put the flour and black pepper in a small bowl, heat the vegetable oil and pour it in, mixing carefully. Chilli flakes, Sichuan peppercorn or cumin may be added.

Scrape the dough onto an oiled mat, shape it into an even log and cut it into 6 even pieces.

Flatten each piece and roll it into a thin, roughly rectangular sheet; brush with the flour oil and scatter with scallion.

Roll it up from one side, pull it longer and more even, then coil it into a cake with the end tucked underneath.

Roll the coil into a round sheet about 7 inches across.

To store, wrap in plastic film in a sealable bag and freeze up to 30 days; fry straight from frozen.

Heat a cast iron or other flat pan with enough oil to cover the bottom; pan fry on medium heat 3 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown, one at a time.