Congyoubing (Chinese Scallion Pancake)

About This Recipe

Congyoubing, or Chinese scallion pancakes, are a beloved street food and home-cooked staple built on a technique similar to laminated pastry: dough is rolled thin, brushed with oil and scattered with scallion, then rolled up and coiled before being flattened and pan-fried, creating dozens of thin, flaky layers within a single pancake. The result is a pastry that's crisp and slightly blistered on the outside, with a chewy, layered, savory interior fragrant with scallion. The technique that defines congyoubing is the roll-and-coil method: after the dough is rolled into a thin rectangle and brushed with oil and scallion, it's rolled up tightly into a log, then coiled like a snail shell and flattened again -- this process, sometimes repeated, is what creates the pancake's signature many-layered structure. Pan-frying in a generous amount of oil over medium heat, pressing occasionally with a spatula, develops a deeply golden, crisp exterior while the interior stays soft and chewy. Served hot, cut into wedges, sometimes with a simple soy-vinegar dipping sauce, congyoubing is found at street stalls and home tables across China -- crispy, flaky, and endlessly satisfying, a genuine showcase of dough technique.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2.5 cupsall-purpose flour
• 1 cuphot water(just boiled)
• 0.25 cupcold water
• 0.5 tspsalt(for dough)
• 0.5 cupneutral oil(for brushing and frying)
• 1 tspsalt(for filling)
• 1 cupscallions(finely chopped)
• 3 tbspsoy sauce(for dipping sauce)
• 1 tbsprice vinegar(for dipping sauce)
• 0.5 tspsesame oil(for dipping sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour with hot water first, stirring quickly, then add cold water and salt, kneading until a smooth dough forms. Rest covered 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Roll thin

   Divide dough into 4 portions. Roll each into a very thin rectangle.

3. 3

   Oil and fill

   Brush each rectangle generously with oil, sprinkle with salt, and scatter chopped scallion evenly over the surface.

4. 4

   Roll and coil

   Roll each rectangle up tightly into a log, then coil the log into a spiral, tucking the end underneath.

5. 5

   Flatten

   Gently flatten each coil with a rolling pin into a disc about 15cm across, being careful not to press too hard and lose the layers.

6. 6

   Fry

   Heat oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Fry each pancake 3-4 minutes per side, pressing occasionally with a spatula, until deeply golden and crisp.

7. 7

   Serve

   Cut into wedges and serve hot with a dipping sauce of soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil.

Variations

• •

  Add a beaten egg to the pan while frying the pancake for a heartier, egg-scallion pancake variation.

• •

  Use chives instead of scallion for a slightly different, more delicate onion flavor.

• •

  Freeze uncooked, flattened pancakes between layers of parchment for a quick meal later.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked pancakes up to 3 days, or freeze uncooked flattened discs up to 2 months. Reheat in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 minutes per side to restore crispness.

Frequently Asked Questions