Taiwanese Scallion Pancake (Cong You Bing)

About This Recipe

Taiwanese Scallion Pancake is a real, traditional Taiwanese dish, known as Cong You Bing. A flaky, layered pan-fried flatbread laminated with oil and scallions, crisp on the outside and chewy within.\n\nCong you bing traveled to Taiwan with Chinese immigrants from Shanghai and Shandong in the mid-20th century and became a beloved street-side breakfast and snack food, often sold from small carts alongside soy milk.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Taiwanese home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gall-purpose flour
• 160 mlhot water
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 4 tbspneutral oil, plus more for frying
• 1 tsptoasted sesame oil
• 6scallions(thinly sliced)
• 1 tspfine sea salt(for the filling)
• 2 tbspsoy sauce(for dipping)
• 1 tbspblack vinegar(for dipping)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour and salt, then gradually stir in hot water until a shaggy dough forms. Knead for 8 minutes until smooth, then rest covered for 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Roll and oil

   Roll the dough into a large thin rectangle, brush generously with oil and sesame oil, then scatter scallions and salt evenly across the surface.

3. 3

   Roll into a log

   Roll the dough tightly into a long log from one edge, then coil it into a spiral.

4. 4

   Rest again

   Rest the coiled dough for 15 minutes, then flatten it gently with a rolling pin into a disc about 20 cm wide.

5. 5

   Fry

   Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry the pancake for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply golden and the layers puff slightly.

6. 6

   Serve

   Cut into wedges and serve warm with a dipping sauce of soy sauce and black vinegar.

Variations

• •

  Add a fried egg on top for a heartier version, common at Taiwanese breakfast stalls.

• •

  A stuffed version, called xian bing, adds a savory pork filling inside the layers.

• •

  Sprinkle black sesame seeds over the dough before rolling for extra flavor and texture.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions