Your history. Your inbox.
7 uniquely curated newsletters to choose from.
Canada's Connection with Green Onion Cakes
Forget about the Muffin Man. In Edmonton, it’s all about Siu To, the Green Onion Cake Man. He’s the person responsible for popularizing the crisp, savoury fried pancakes packed with green onions that have become the unofficial dish of Edmonton.
Evoking a sense of pride and nostalgia for many local residents, these tasty treats are on menus at Vietnamese restaurants, food trucks and Irish pubs (O’Byrne’s on Whyte Avenue once used them as the base for a bruschetta pizza) and even on sports uniforms (the Edmonton Riverhawks baseball team unveiled Green Onion Cakes jerseys for the 2025 season, a tribute to the local delicacy).
Known as scallion pancakes in other parts of North America, green onion cakes aren’t really cakes at all — they’re rolled out and cut more like cinnamon buns, but they swap that spice and sugar for piles of sliced green onions and a slick of sesame oil and butter.
Your history. Your inbox.
With 7 uniquely curated newsletters to choose from, we have something for everyone.
Siu To immigrated to Canada in 1978 from northern China when he was 34 and opened Happy Garden restaurant in the Parkallen neighbourhood with his wife, Yeenar, the following year. He listed green onion cakes on the menu as an appetizer, but it wasn’t until To started selling the oniony pancakes at festivals across the city — including the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival and Edmonton Folk Music Festival — that they really took off. Their portability and deliciousness just suited festival eating.
History was made and the Green Onion Cake Man got his now well-known nickname. To opened the Green Onion Cake Man storefront in 2018 and serves a variety of dishes; he’s also offered green onion cake-making classes. These days, you can still find To hanging out at local farmers markets and selling his famous cakes, along with noodles, dumplings and Fort Edmonton brisket from his food truck. This Chinese import is now a widely beloved market staple across Edmonton.
Recipe is below...
Advertisement
Green Onion Cakes
Prep time: 30 minutes | Total time: 60 minutes
Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS
▢ 4 cups all-purpose
▢ 1 tsp baking powder
▢ 1½ tsp plus pinch salt, divided
▢ 1¼ tsp baking soda
▢ 1½ cups warm water
▢ 1¼ cup butter or shortening
▢ 1 tsp sesame oil
▢ 2-3 bunches green onions,roughly chopped
▢ vegetable oil or canola oil for cooking
DIRECTIONS
- In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ½ tsp of the salt and the baking soda. Add warm water; stir until dough comes together. Knead until texture is smooth. Cover bowl with kitchen towel or plastic wrap; let rest for at least 15 minutes.
- In skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and sesame oil. Roll dough into large oval; brush with butter mixture. Sprinkle with green onions and remaining pinch salt.
- Roll dough into 10-inch long cylinder; cut evenly into 8 pieces. Gently pinch ends to close and lightly flatten each roll; roll both ends in toward centre. Flatten each portion into pancake. Between two pieces of parchment paper, roll each pancake to ¼ inch thickness. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; fry pancakes, 2 at a time, until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
- Serve Green Onion Cakes immediately with chili garlic sauce or chili oil.
Help keep Canada’s stories true, strong, and free
We hope you’ll help us continue to share fascinating stories about Canada’s past by making a donation to Canada’s History Society today.
We highlight our nation’s diverse past by telling stories that illuminate the people, places, and events that unite us as Canadians, and by making those stories accessible to everyone through our free online content.
We are a registered charity that depends on contributions from readers like you to share inspiring and informative stories with students and citizens of all ages — award-winning stories written by Canada’s top historians, authors, journalists, and history enthusiasts.
Any amount helps, or better yet, start a monthly donation today. Your support makes all the difference. Thank you!
Themes associated with this article
Advertisement
