Flaky, layered Chinese flatbreads laced with scallions, pan-fried until golden and crisp, a beloved street food and dim sum snack.
Cong you bing achieves its signature flaky layers through a specific rolling and folding technique, where the dough is rolled thin, brushed with oil and scallions, then rolled into a log and coiled before being flattened again. This lamination process, similar in principle to puff pastry but achieved without butter, creates dozens of thin layers that separate as the pancake fries, giving it a distinctly crisp, shattering exterior around a soft, chewy interior. Pan-fried in a generous amount of oil until deeply golden on both sides, these pancakes are traditionally cut into wedges and served with a simple soy-vinegar dipping sauce, best eaten hot, straight from the pan.
Serves 4
Mix flour and salt, then gradually stir in hot water until a shaggy dough forms; knead 8 minutes until smooth, then rest covered for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a very thin rectangle.
Brush each rectangle generously with oil, then sprinkle with chopped scallions and salt.
Roll each rectangle up tightly into a log, then coil the log into a spiral and tuck the end underneath.
Roll the dough as thin as possible before adding scallions — the thinner the initial sheet, the more distinct layers form when it's rolled and coiled.
Gently flatten each coiled spiral with a rolling pin into a disc about 6-7 inches wide.
Heat a generous amount of oil in a skillet and fry each pancake over medium heat, 3-4 minutes per side, until deeply golden and crisp.
Cut into wedges and serve hot with the soy-vinegar dipping sauce.
Roll the dough as thin as possible before adding the oil and scallions — this is what creates the many distinct, flaky layers once fried.
Let the coiled dough rest for a few minutes before flattening if it springs back too much, giving the gluten time to relax.
Fry with enough oil to properly crisp the exterior; too little oil results in a dry, tough pancake rather than a flaky, crisp one.
Adding a bit of Sichuan peppercorn to the oil brushed on the dough gives a subtly numbing version.
Some versions add an egg cracked directly into the pan while frying for a heartier snack.
A version filled with sesame paste instead of scallions is a sweeter alternative found in some regions.
Best eaten fresh and hot; the shaped, unfried pancakes freeze well between layers of parchment, and can be fried directly from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes per side.
Scallion pancakes have roots in northern Chinese cuisine, particularly associated with Shanghai and surrounding regions, and the lamination technique used to create their signature flaky layers reflects broader Chinese pastry-making traditions.
Yes, freeze the shaped, unfried pancakes between sheets of parchment paper, then fry directly from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes per side.
Hot water partially cooks the flour's starches, resulting in a softer, more pliable dough that's easier to roll thin and produces a chewier finished pancake.
The dough may not have been rolled thin enough before adding the oil and scallions, or it wasn't coiled tightly enough to create distinct layers.
Per serving (140g / 4.9 oz) · 4 servings total
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