Garlic Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)

About This Recipe

Cong you bing, or scallion pancakes, are a staple of Chinese breakfast stalls and home kitchens, built entirely around lamination technique rather than a leavened dough. A simple hot-water dough is rolled thin, brushed with oil and packed with chopped scallion (and here, a bit of garlic), then rolled up into a log and coiled before being rolled flat again — that coiling is what creates the dozens of thin layers that separate and flake when the pancake fries. The hot water in the dough is essential: it partially cooks the flour's starches, giving the dough a pliable, slightly chewy texture rather than the tougher result you'd get from a cold-water dough. Pan-frying in a generous amount of oil over moderate heat is what turns the outside deeply golden and shatteringly crisp while the inside stays soft and layered. Served hot, cut into wedges, these are eaten plain or dipped in a simple soy-vinegar sauce, and they reheat well in a dry skillet for a quick breakfast any day of the week.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupsall-purpose flour
• 0.75 cupboiling water
• 0.25 cupcold water
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 4 tbspvegetable oil(divided, plus more for frying)
• 1 cupscallions(finely chopped)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspfine sea salt(for filling)
• 3 tbsplight soy sauce(for dipping sauce)
• 1 tbspblack vinegar(for dipping sauce)
• 1 tspchile oil(for dipping sauce, optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Stir boiling water into flour and salt with chopsticks until shaggy, then add cold water and knead into a smooth dough, about 5 minutes. Cover and rest 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Roll and oil

   Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll each into a thin rectangle, about 3mm thick, then brush generously with oil.

3. 3

   Add scallion and garlic

   Sprinkle chopped scallion, minced garlic and a pinch of salt evenly over the oiled dough.

4. 4

   Roll and coil

   Roll the dough up tightly into a log, then coil it into a spiral like a cinnamon roll, tucking the end underneath. Flatten gently with your palm, then roll out again into a disc about 18cm wide.

   Rest the coiled dough for 5 minutes before rolling flat — this keeps the layers from tearing.

5. 5

   Pan-fry

   Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry each pancake 3-4 minutes per side, pressing occasionally with a spatula, until deep golden and crisp on both sides.

6. 6

   Serve

   Cut into wedges while hot. Mix soy sauce, black vinegar and chile oil for dipping.

Variations

• •

  Add a spoonful of finely chopped Chinese five-spice-cured sausage into the filling for a heartier version.

• •

  Use a mix of scallion and chives for a slightly different aromatic profile.

• •

  Make them ahead and freeze the rolled, uncooked pancakes between parchment; fry straight from frozen, adding a couple extra minutes per side.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked pancakes up to 2 days, or freeze uncooked pancakes up to 1 month. Reheat in a dry or lightly oiled skillet over medium heat to re-crisp; microwaving makes them chewy and flat.

Frequently Asked Questions