There’s always a twist to Amanda Cohen’s dishes. Her scallion pancakes are not the traditional Chinese scallion flat breads; instead, they’re the ball-like Danish pancakes, abelskivers, (similar to those fun Japanese octopus balls, takoyaki) with a filling of Chinese chives, smoked scallions and scallions that have all been stir-fried with garlic. They’re accompanied by a refreshing salad of lime and fermented black bean-dressed cucumber, daikon, jicama, grilled scallions, grilled red onions, Thai basil, parsley and cilantro, which is topped with pearl onion rings. It’s no wonder that Cohen calls this dish “a celebration of onions.” Nowhere else will you find such a variety of onions cooked so perfectly to accentuate their particular flavors. The outside of the ball is light and crisp, and the batter inside balances out the scallions’ pungent and smoky flavors — so smoky, in fact, that I swear I taste the essence of ham — as do the fresh vegetables and herbs in the salad. New to the menu as the “onion” appetizer, these scallion pancakes are sure to become another Dirt Candy hit.