⏱ Prep: 20 min + 30 min rest 🔥Cook: 20 min 👤Makes: 4 pancakes 🌿Diet: Vegan
Chinese scallion pancakes, cong you bing are nothing like a Western breakfast pancake. They’re made from dough, not batter, and the flaky layers that pull apart when you bite into one come from a simple lamination technique: roll the dough thin, brush it with an oil paste, scatter scallions, roll everything into a tight log, coil that log into a spiral, then flatten and fry. Four ingredients, one technique, and the kind of result that’s hard to believe didn’t come from a street cart.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup boiling water, boiling water partially cooks the flour, making the dough tender and easier to roll without springing back
- ¼ cup cold water, adds a little chew to balance the tenderness from the hot water
For the oil paste (the lamination)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the filling
- 1 cup scallions, thinly sliced, green parts only; the hard white parts are too thick and will tear through the dough during rolling
For the dipping sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of chili flakes, optional
For frying
- 3–4 tablespoons neutral oil
Step by step
- Make the dough. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in the boiling water while stirring with chopsticks or a fork until a shaggy mass forms. Add the cold water and continue mixing until it comes together. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 3–5 minutes until smooth. Cover with a damp towel and rest for 30 minutes.The dough will feel slightly sticky right after mixing, this smooths out considerably during the rest, so resist adding extra flour too early.
- Make the oil paste. While the dough rests, mix the flour, neutral oil, sesame oil and salt together in a small bowl until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
- Make the dipping sauce. Stir together all dipping sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Shape the pancakes. Divide the rested dough into 4 equal pieces. Working one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a thin rectangle, as thin as you can get it without tearing, roughly 10 by 6 inches. Brush the oil paste evenly across the surface, leaving a small border. Scatter a quarter of the scallions across the dough. Starting from the long edge, roll the dough tightly away from you into a log. Stretch and lengthen the log slightly, then coil it into a tight spiral, tucking the end underneath. Press gently to seal. Repeat with the remaining pieces.The tighter you roll the log and coil the spiral, the more distinct the layers will be once cooked. A loose roll produces a dense, bready pancake rather than a flaky one.
- Flatten and roll again. Let the coiled spirals rest 5 minutes. Then press each one firmly with your palm to flatten, and roll out to a circle about ¼ inch thick and 7–8 inches across. Don’t worry if a scallion or two pokes through, just tuck them back in.
- Pan-fry. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add one pancake and fry for 2–3 minutes until the underside is golden brown. Flip, cover with a lid for 1 minute, then remove the lid and continue cooking until the second side is also golden. Transfer to a cutting board.Medium heat throughout, high heat browns the outside before the interior fully cooks through. If the oil starts smoking, the heat is too high.
- Smash and serve. While still hot, clap the pancake firmly between your palms or use two spatulas to press and smash it lightly, this breaks apart the layers and makes it dramatically flakier. Slice into wedges and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
Why the coil creates the layers
The spiral coiling step is the entire reason scallion pancakes have their distinctive flaky pull-apart layers. Rolling the oiled, scallion-covered dough into a log and then coiling it creates dozens of alternating dough-and-oil layers within each disc.
When it hits the hot pan, those layers separate and crisp individually, the same logic that makes croissants laminated, just done with a completely different dough and a fraction of the effort.
Make it your own
Claire’s note
Lard is the traditional fat used in place of the oil paste and gives a noticeably richer, more fragrant result, worth trying if you can source it. The uncooked shaped pancakes freeze extremely well between sheets of parchment paper; cook them straight from frozen in a covered pan with a splash of water added before lidding, same as pan-fried dumplings. Leftover cooked pancakes reheat best in a dry skillet over medium heat rather than the microwave, which makes them soft and chewy in the wrong way.
Serve with
Chinese scallion pancakes are traditionally eaten as a snack or breakfast alongside warm soy milk or congee in Northern China. They also pair well as a side with dan dan noodles or any of the dishes in the complete Asian recipes guide.
Add Chinese scallion pancakes to your weekly meal planner, make a double batch on the weekend and freeze half for fast weeknight snacking. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.
Print
Chinese Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: 4 pancakes 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Crispy, flaky Chinese scallion pancakes made from dough and filled with fresh scallions, perfect for snacking or breakfast.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup boiling water
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for oil paste)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt (for oil paste)
- 1 cup scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (for dipping sauce)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (for dipping sauce)
- ½ teaspoon sugar (for dipping sauce)
- Pinch of chili flakes (optional)
- 3–4 tablespoons neutral oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Make the dough. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in the boiling water while stirring with chopsticks or a fork until a shaggy mass forms. Add the cold water and continue mixing until it comes together. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 3–5 minutes until smooth. Cover with a damp towel and rest for 30 minutes.
- Make the oil paste. While the dough rests, mix the flour, neutral oil, sesame oil and salt together in a small bowl until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
- Make the dipping sauce. Stir together all dipping sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Shape the pancakes. Divide the rested dough into 4 equal pieces. Working one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a thin rectangle, about 10 by 6 inches. Brush the oil paste evenly across the surface, leaving a small border. Scatter a quarter of the scallions across the dough. Starting from the long edge, roll the dough tightly away from you into a log. Coil it into a tight spiral, tucking the end underneath. Press gently to seal. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
- Flatten and roll again. Let the coiled spirals rest for 5 minutes. Press each one firmly with your palm to flatten and roll out to a circle about ¼ inch thick and 7–8 inches across.
- Pan-fry. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add one pancake and fry for 2–3 minutes until golden brown. Flip, cover with a lid for 1 minute, then remove the lid and cook until the second side is also golden.
- Smash and serve. While still hot, clap the pancake firmly between your palms to break apart the layers. Slice into wedges and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
Notes
Lard can be used in place of the oil paste for a richer flavor. To freeze uncooked pancakes, place them between sheets of parchment paper, and cook from frozen with a splash of water added.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Pan-Frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pancake
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
