Chinese spring onion pancakes, also known as vegan spring onion pancakes or “congyoubing”, is one of the most famous and traditional Chinese street foods and is an ideal Chinese breakfast, side dish or appetizer to Asian food. These crispy leek-flavored pancakes are available across China. It’s easy and simple to make at home. Learn the secrets of cooking Chinese pancakes. These little treats are made with a few simple ingredients and are on the table in no time.
Tips for the perfect Chinese pancakes with spring onions
- To make the pancakes slightly chewy and still soft, I use partly boiling and partly cold water. Hot-boiling water dough is soft, while cold water dough develops a chewy texture.
- I also recommend using only the greens of the spring onion, leek or chives. The firmer white part could damage the dough shell.
- Let the formed pancakes rest for a while just before rolling them out for the last time.
- You should cover the dough with a damp cloth between each step to protect it from drying out.
Steps to make these savory pancakes
Chinese pancakes with spring onions, also known as scallion pancakes, are called “cong you bing” in Chinese. The unleavened flatbread dough is folded several times (twisted, rolled…) and previously brushed with sesame oil and filled with chopped green onions. It’s then pan fried, giving it a sharply crispy shell while maintaining a chewy texture on the inside. The layers created by rolling and folding are a unique feature of these Chinese Spring Onion Pancakes. There are many different variations, flavors and fillings for this basic preparation method.
Here is a picture of the steps described below.
if you like our Chinese spring onion pancakes, you might also be interested in these dishes:
- Potato and fig tarte flambée
- Eggplant mini pizza
- Sweet potato bowl a delicious Power Foos combination
- Indian Vegan Ghugni Chaat
- Cauliflower steaks from the oven
- Make your own coriander pesto
Chinese pancakes with spring onions
Equipment
Ingredients
for the Chinese pancakes:
- 250 grams flour
- 120 ml hot water
- 60 ml cold water
- 3 tablespoon Sesame oil*
- 3-4 spring onions only use the green
- ½ tsp kosher salt*
- 1 Chinese Five Spice Powder*
- vegetable oil to fry
for the dip:
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce*
- 2 tablespoon Mirin*
- 1 tsp sugar
- fresh ginger* hazelnut size
- ½ tsp chili flakes* optional or use less
- spring onions or coriander
Instructions
Prepare dip:
- Peel and finely grate the ginger.
- Rinse the spring onions and/or coriander, shake dry and chop finely.
- Mix all components well.
Chinese pancakes:
- Rinse the spring onions and cut the greens into fine rings.
- Mix the flour with the salt.
- Put the flour in a bowl or in the bowl of your food processor. Make a small well in the middle and pour the boiling hot water into it. Now wait about 10 minutes until you can add the cold water and knead a smooth dough out of it. (Fig. 1)
- Form a ball, cover and let rest 30 minutes. After resting, the dough should be easy to roll out. (Fig. 2)
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll out each piece into a large circle about 1-2mm thick. Brush some sesame oil on it, sprinkle with the Chinese five spice powder and roll up the dough into a “snake”. (Fig. 3)
- Now twist the “snake” into a “snail” to roll it out again to a thickness of 1-2 mm. Slightly oval this time so you can shape a nice roll later. (Fig. 4-5)
- Scatter the finely chopped spring onion rings over the rolled out “snail”. (Fig. 6)
- Roll the dough up again into a “snake” and turn it into a “snail”. Do the same with the rest of the dough. Cover snails with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. (Fig. 7-8)
- The “snails” are now rolled out one last time to a thickness of about 0.5-1 cm. (Fig. 9)
- Heat some vegetable oil in a pan and fry the pancake for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side over medium heat. Press the pancake down with a spatula every now and then to ensure everything cooks evenly.
- Drain the pancakes briefly on paper towels and cut into wedges and serve with the dip.
- Enjoy your meal!
