Chinese Scallion Pancakes Cong You Bing 🥞🥢

Description

Chinese Scallion Pancakes, known as Cong You Bing, are crisp, flaky, savory, and deeply aromatic, made from hot-water dough layered with sesame oil, spring onions, and a touch of salt. Each pancake fries into golden layers with a tender center and crackly edges, giving this Chinese street-food classic strong search appeal, beautiful visual texture, and a premium handmade feel for GrannyZen. ✨

Hook ✨

Golden crisp layers, fragrant scallions, warm sesame oil, and that satisfying flaky pull make these Chinese scallion pancakes simple, iconic, and impossible to resist. 🥢

Ingredients

• Hot-water dough 🌾
• 🌾 350 g plain flour (2¾ cups / 12.3 oz)
• 💧 220 ml boiling water (¾ cup + 2 tbsp / 7.4 fl oz)
• 🧂 3 g fine salt (½ tsp / 0.1 oz)
• 🌻 15 ml neutral oil (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• Scallion filling 🧅
• 🧅 120 g spring onions, finely sliced (2 cups / 4.2 oz)
• 🌰 35 ml toasted sesame oil (2 tbsp + 1 tsp / 1.2 fl oz)
• 🧂 5 g fine salt (1 tsp / 0.18 oz)
• ⚪ 2 g white pepper (½ tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🌾 25 g plain flour, for the oil paste (3 tbsp / 0.9 oz)
• For rolling and frying 🔥
• 🌾 30 g plain flour, for dusting (¼ cup / 1 oz)
• 🌻 60 ml neutral oil, for frying (¼ cup / 2 fl oz)
• Dipping sauce 🥢
• 🥢 45 ml light soy sauce (3 tbsp / 1.5 fl oz)
• 🍶 15 ml Chinkiang black vinegar (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🌶️ 10 g chili crisp, optional (2 tsp / 0.35 oz)
• 🧅 10 g spring onion, finely sliced (2 tbsp / 0.35 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Make the hot-water dough 🌾
2. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water slowly while stirring with chopsticks or a wooden spoon. When the dough looks shaggy, add the neutral oil and knead for 5–6 min until smooth and soft. ✨
3. 2️⃣ Rest the dough 🛋️
4. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 min at room temperature. This makes it easier to roll thinly and helps create soft, flexible layers. 🥢
5. 3️⃣ Make the scallion oil paste 🧅
6. Mix the sesame oil, flour, salt, and white pepper into a smooth paste. Keep the sliced spring onions ready beside it so the filling spreads evenly across the dough. 🌰
7. 4️⃣ Roll the first sheet 🥞
8. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll one piece into a thin rectangle about 25 x 35 cm (10 x 14 in), using a little flour only if needed. The thinner the dough, the more delicate the layers. ✨
9. 5️⃣ Fill and coil 🧅
10. Spread a thin layer of sesame oil paste over the dough, then scatter with spring onions. Roll the dough into a long rope, coil it into a spiral, tuck the end underneath, and press gently. 🥢
11. 6️⃣ Roll into pancakes 🥞
12. Let the coil rest for 5 min, then roll it gently into a pancake about 18–20 cm (7–8 in) wide. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Do not press too hard or the layers will disappear. ✨
13. 7️⃣ Fry until golden 🔥
14. Heat 15 ml oil (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz) in a skillet over medium heat. Fry one pancake for 3–4 min per side until deeply golden, crisp at the edges, and slightly puffed in the center. Repeat with the remaining pancakes. 🥞
15. 8️⃣ Slice and serve 🥢
16. Cut each pancake into wedges and serve hot with soy-vinegar dipping sauce and chili crisp if using. The pancakes should be crisp outside, tender inside, and fragrant with scallion and sesame. ✨

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 25 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 28 min
🛋 Rest: 35 min
⏰ Total: 88 min

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