Scallion pancakes (cong you bing) are a savory wheat flatbread, not a breakfast pancake: a hot-water dough rolled thin, brushed with an oil-and-flour paste, scattered with scallions, then rolled and coiled so the layers separate into flakes when fried.
They are pan-fried in oil — crisp outside, chewy inside. The ingredient list is short; the technique takes a little practice.
Ingredients
Makes 4 large pancakes.
Dough
- 2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup hot water (just boiled), plus 1 tbsp more as needed
Oil-flour paste (the lamination layer)
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
Filling
- 1 cup finely chopped scallions, green parts mostly
For frying
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, plus more as needed between batches
Optional dipping sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, pinch of sugar
Method
- Make the dough: whisk the flour and salt in a large heatproof bowl. Pour in the hot water while stirring with chopsticks or a wooden spoon until shaggy. When cool enough to handle, knead 5 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest 30 minutes (up to 2 hours).
- Make the paste: stir the oil, flour, and salt into a smooth, spreadable paste.
- Roll and laminate: divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time (keep the rest covered), roll into a thin rectangle or circle, as thin as you can without tearing — roughly 1/8 inch.
- Brush the surface with a thin layer of the oil-flour paste, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Scatter evenly with chopped scallions.
- Roll the dough up tightly into a rope starting from the long side. Coil the rope into a spiral (like a cinnamon roll), tuck the end underneath, and let rest 10 minutes. Flatten with your palm, then roll gently into a circle about 7 inches across and 1/8 inch thick. Do not press out the layers — gentle pressure keeps the flakes.
- Fry: heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Test with a scallion bit — it should sizzle. Lay in one pancake; cook 3 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula, until golden brown and crisp in spots. Add a little more oil between batches as needed. These are pan-fried in oil; they are not oil-free, low-fat, or light — never describe them that way.
- Transfer to a rack or paper towels briefly. Cut into wedges and serve hot with the dipping sauce, if using.
Tips and ingredient notes
- Hot-water dough: hot water partially cooks the flour’s starch, giving a tender, easy-to-roll dough.
- Oil in the paste: neutral oil keeps this version plant-based. Lard gives a richer, flakier result per several sources — a noted variation, not the default.
- Scallion amount: more scallions mean more flavor but harder rolling (they poke through thin dough). Use green parts mostly.
- Resting matters: skipping the rests makes the dough spring back and tear. Do not present the rests as optional.
- Flakiness: depends on rolling thin and the paste layer — thick pancakes come out bready, not flaky.
- Reheating: a hot skillet or oven revives the crispness best.
Storage and food safety
Allergen note: contains wheat/gluten (flour); the optional dipping sauce contains soy and sesame. Refrigerate leftover pancakes and use within 4 days; reheat in a hot skillet until steaming hot.