Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)

A great scallion pancake is crunchy on the outside and tender and a bit chewy on the inside. Loaded with scallions and redolent of toasted sesame oil, it makes for a great appetizer, snack, or meal on the go.

Course Appetizer, Bread

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword bread

Level Intermediate

Main Ingredient Flour

Diet Dairy-Free, Low Sugar

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 5

Servings servings

Calories 273kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

254 grams all-purpose flour (~2 cups)
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup boiling water
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
85 grams scallions (5 scallions, finely chopped)
sea salt (to taste)
vegetable oil (for frying)

Grams + US Cups - US Standard

Instructions

Add the 254 grams all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¾ cup boiling water to the bowl of a mixer fitted with a beater attachment. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Switch attachments to the dough hook and knead at medium low speed until the dough is smooth and not super sticky.
254 grams all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup boiling water
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes
On a well-floured surface, cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a round puck.
Using plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking, roll one of the pucks out into an 11-inch (28 cm) disk.
Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil onto each flattened dough and use a pastry brush to spread it around evenly.
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Evenly distribute ¼ of the 85 grams scallions on top of the dough and then sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
85 grams scallions, sea salt
Roll the dough as if you're making cinnamon rolls
Wrap the rolled dough around itself so it looks like a snail shell, pinching the end to get it to stick.
Flatten out the puck of dough with your hand and roll out to a 6-inch (15 cm) disk. If you want your pancake to have more crunchy surface area you can roll it out thinner, but the problem is that the layers in the dough you just created will fuse together. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed frying pan over medium heat until the oil is hot, but not smoking. Add a pancake and fry until browned on one side (5-6 minutes).
vegetable oil
Flip and fry the other side (another 4-5 minutes). Be careful not to have the heat too high, otherwise the scallion pancake will burn before it cooks through. Fry the rest of the pancakes, adding another tablespoon of oil to the pan before adding each pancake.
As the scallion pancakes are cooked, transfer them to a paper towel lined wire rack to drain. Serve hot. If you have leftovers, these can be frozen and reheated in a toaster oven.

Nutrition