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Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)

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Batches:

Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)

Source: Wei — [Red House Spice](https://redhousespice.com/spring-onion-pancake/)

Yield: 1 batch(es) — 4 thick or 3 thin pancakes

Time: ~45 minutes

About

Scallion pancakes (葱油饼 Cong You Bing) are a pan-fried Chinese flatbread with crispy, flaky layers and a savoury scallion filling. Made from a simple hot-water dough — no yeast, no batter.

Key Technique: Hot water "cooks" the flour protein, relaxing the gluten so the dough is soft and easy to shape. A flour-fat paste between the layers creates the characteristic flakiness.

Ingredients

Dough

  • 250g all-purpose flour
  • 160g hot (boiling) water
  • Neutral oil, for coating the dough and work surface

Filling

  • 28g lard or coconut oil, melted (see tips for substitutes)
  • 16g all-purpose flour
  • 1g ground Sichuan pepper (or five-spice powder)
  • 1.5g salt
  • 40g scallions, finely chopped

For Frying

  • 15ml neutral cooking oil

Instructions

1. Make the Dough

  1. Pour hot water into flour, stir with chopsticks until no loose flour remains, then combine by hand into a rough dough — don't over-knead yet
  2. Cover tightly with cling film and rest for 15 minutes
  3. Knead until very smooth — only takes 10–15 strokes with hot-water dough

2. Make the Filling

  1. While dough rests, mix melted lard, flour, Sichuan pepper, and salt into a smooth paste
  2. Finely chop scallions — be generous, more is better

3. Shape the Pancakes

  1. Rub a thin layer of oil over the dough and work surface (prevents sticking without drying the dough)
  2. Roll into a thin rectangle, roughly 43cm × 33cm
  3. Spread filling paste evenly over the dough, then scatter scallions on top
  4. From the shorter side, loosely roll into a rope — don't roll too tight
  5. Cut into 4 pieces (thick pancakes) or 3 pieces (thin pancakes)
  6. Stand each piece cut-side up, press down with hand, then roll flat

- Thick: ~13cm diameter, ½cm thick

- Thin: ~23cm diameter, as thin as possible

- Tip: Thin pancakes are more traditional and chewy; thick are crispy outside, soft inside

4. Fry

  1. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until hot — test with a piece of scallion, it should sizzle immediately
  2. Reduce to medium heat, place pancakes in (top side down)
  3. Cover with lid and cook ~2 minutes until golden brown on the bottom
  4. Flip, cover again, cook the other side until golden

- Tip: Thick pancakes ~4 min total; thin pancakes less. Don't rush — too high heat burns outside before inside cooks

  1. Rest on a wire rack 1–2 minutes before serving — avoids condensation making them soggy

Tips

Fat choice:

  • Lard or rendered duck/chicken fat = most flavour and best flakiness
  • Coconut oil = good vegan substitute
  • Any neutral oil works but may leak while shaping — messy is fine, they still taste great
  • Sesame oil works but use less — very strong aroma

Spice:

  • Sichuan pepper gives a tingly numbing sensation — the classic choice
  • Five-spice, cumin, or black pepper all work well

Dough:

  • Can be refrigerated or frozen (coated in oil, wrapped tightly) — bring to room temp before shaping
  • You can also use bread flour; water ratio may vary slightly

No oil frying:

  • You can pan-fry without oil to reduce fat — works fine

Serving:

  • Thick: tear apart by hand
  • Thin: slice into wedges like pizza
  • Dipping sauce: chilli oil + black rice vinegar + light soy sauce

Storage

  • Cooked: Airtight bag in fridge up to 3 days. Reheat in pan, oven, or air fryer.
  • Uncooked (freeze): Stack with parchment between each pancake, store in sealed bags. Fry from frozen — no defrosting needed. For thick ones, add a splash of water to the pan and cover to steam the middle through.

Tags: #recipe #chinese #bread #vegetarian #snack #breakfast