Chinese scallion pancakes (cong you bing)

Chinese scallion pancakes are both a street food favorite as well as found in restaurants. They are easier than you might think to make at home with only a few ingredients. The result is a delicious mix of flaky layers, chewiness, crisp outside and tasty flavors. 

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Many places enjoy some kind of pancake, whether sweet or savory in some kind of way. The size and exact ingredients can vary, but you typically have some kind of batter that you spoon or drizzle onto a griddle or skillet.

Many Asian pancakes, though, are that bit different. Some have about as many additions as batter, like Korean vegetable pancakes, yachae jeon. Then others, like these and their sweet Korean cousin hotteok, are made with a dough rather than a batter.

These pancakes are a simple combination of a chewy dough with finely chopped scallions and oil as the filling. You can just use a plain oil, but you can also use, as here, part sesame oil for a little extra flavor. 

While you can serve them just as they are, a simple dipping sauce makes all the difference to add a little extra flavor. You'll find a couple different versions but most at least use a soy sauce base and typically a little vinegar and sugar to balance the flavors.

What makes these pancakes different

There are a couple things about how you make these that makes them unique. Firstly, you use a hot water dough, and secondly, you effectively laminate the dough to make lots of flaky layers. Let me explain in a little more detail.

Using hot water for the dough effectively stops the gluten development. This means it isn't going to spring back and get stretchy, as you would want for bread, but that's great for these as it gives a great chewiness. It also makes it easier to roll the dough thinly.

Laminating is a fancy name for making layers of dough and fat which gives a great flaky texture. It's the process used to make croissants, just the dough and fat for those is different. Here, you make a flour and oil paste which helps separate the layers. 

Unlike croissants where you start with a thicker block of pastry and butter and roll them multiple times, here you roll the dough really thin, add the oil paste and scallions then roll it up. Then coil up the roll and flatten it out again. 

Don't worry if some of the filling or air bubbles pop when you roll the pancakes out a second time. Just tuck the scallions back in to the dough. Then warm some oil in a skillet and cook on both sides until they are golden.

They are unlikely be even in color since the dough tends to bubble and won't be completely even, but don't worry, they still cook. If you are unsure, you can always turn it back to the first side for a little extra cook, just take care not to burn them.

You can eat these just as they are, but the simple dipping sauce pairs perfectly to give an extra zing.

These savory Chinese scallion pancakes are a wonderful balance of crispness on the outside, flaky layers and a chewy texture throughout. The flavor is distinctly savory but with lots of nice delicate nuances going on. Perfect snacking, either as they are or with other dishes.

Try these other Chinese favorites:

• Shrimp shumai (open-topped dumplings)
• Hong shao rou - red braised pork belly
• Chinese oven steamed fish
• Vegetable dumplings (jiaozi)
• Plus get more Chinese recipes and appetizers in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

This recipe draws on a few different sources, including the cooking lesson I had in Taiwan, this Omnivore's Cookbook recipe and this What to Cook Today recipe.

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