Making beautifully golden Chinese Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing) is easier than you'd think! You'll only need a handful of ingredients to get restaurant quality results. These savory pancakes are crispy, flaky, chewy and full of fresh scallions and fragrant sesame oil.
1tablespoonunseasoned rice vinegar or Chinkiang (black) vinegar
1teaspoonsliced scallions, grated fresh ginger, or minced garlic(optional)
Instructions
Add the flour to a large bowl and make a well in the center. Stir in the boiling water to create a shaggy mass, then add the cold water and mix.
Knead in the mixing bowl to bring the dough together into a ball, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and continue to knead for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the dough is firm and elastic.
Form the dough into a smooth ball and wrap in plastic wrap or place in a zip-top bag and seal, pressing out excess air. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
To keep the scallion pancakes hot, preheat the oven to 200°F. Cover a baking sheet with paper towels or a metal rack and set it aside.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces each weighing about 80 grams. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough into an 8 ½-inch circle. Brush 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil over the dough spreading it to within ¼-inch of the edge. Sprinkle evenly with a ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and about ¼ cup of the sliced scallions.
Starting at the edge of dough closest to you, roll the dough away from you into a tight cylinder (like a jelly roll). It should look like a long rope or snake. Then twist the dough around itself into a spiral or coil shape and press the end to the rest of the dough to seal it closed.
Dust a little flour on the dough spiral and then gently press it on a floured surface with the palm of your hand to flatten it. Use a rolling pin to roll it out, dusting with more flour if it starts to stick, until it measures about 6-inches in diameter (this can be a little messy, with scallions squeezing out a bit, but that's normal and fine). Repeat with the remaining dough and filling ingredients.
To make the dipping sauce, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and any optional mix-ins you'd like to add, in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a 9-to-10-inch nonstick skillet (just wider than diameter of the scallion pancakes) over medium heat and add ½ tablespoon vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmering, place one pancake in the skillet and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes. Add another ½ tablespoon oil and flip over the pancake, cooking the second side for another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Lift an edge occasionally to check for over-browning and adjust the heat if necessary.
Transfer the pancake to the prepared baking sheet and keep it warm in the oven while cooking the remaining pancakes, adding more oil to the pan for each pancake. Cut each pancake into 6 wedges and serve hot with dipping sauce, if desired.
Notes
I recommend using thinner scallions if you can find them. If your scallions are particularly juicy (it happens) they may make the dough a bit wet as you are rolling out the pancakes. Just use a bit of extra flour for dusting to keep the surface dry.
Although you can brush these pancakes with vegetable oil or even lard to create the classic flaky layers, I like using toasted sesame oil instead. It creates the same flaky definition and also adds more flavor. You can use vegetable oil if that's all you have.