Classic and traditional Chinese green onion pancake is the best for snack, breakfast or lunch. This Chinese scallion pancake or cong you bing recipe only has a few ingredients. Let’s learn how to make scallion pancakes at home!
Love Chinese food? Check out these breakfast dim sum recipes: cheung fun, siu mai, custard buns, pork congee, turnip cake, lo mai gai and soy sauce noodles.
What is scallion pancake?
Scallion pancake is a popular Chinese cuisine that serves as a street food item and restaurant dish. Also, it is called cong you bing in Mandarin Chinese and literally translates as scallion oil pancake or green onion oil pancake. Although it is called pancake, this Chinese green onion pancake is different from western pancakes that are made from a dough instead of a batter. For example this Chinese pan fry pancake recipe.
Cong you bing is a savory and unleavened flat flour dough folded with salt, green onion and oil. Then, pan fry until it’s golden brown which gives crispy edges, but chewy texture. Commercial Chinese green onion pancakes you can find at Asian markets. They are normally uncooked, frozen and wrapped in plastic packages.
What are the ingredients for cong you bing?
In this cong you bing recipe, the ingredients are flour, salt, water, green onion and oil.
Cooking tips for how to make Chinese green onion pancake:
- Use all purpose flour and mix the dough for 2 minutes. Don’t over knead the dough. Resting the dough is very important after working on it.
- Roll up the dough after putting salt and green onion. Then, twist and roll the dough a little bit. After that, roll up the ends and stack up. See the video below for details.
- Bush some oil on the dough, then use the palm to press down the dough and flatten it.
- Pan fry cong you bing with a small fire and cover with a lid for 2-3 minutes. After, flip the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Next, try to flip and pan fry the Chinese scallion pancakes until it’s golden brown. When you flip the pancakes, try to use some force to slap the pancakes because it helps loosen up the layers.
FAQs:
For cong you bing, we normally use all purpose flour. When you mix the dough, don’t over knead the dough.
You can flatten the scallion pancake dough and grease oil on the parchment papers. Put the dough on the parchment papers and freeze them for months. When you want to eat them, you pan fry it. Or, you can cook and freeze them for a couple months. You can warm them in the microwave with a wet paper towel or air fry it.
Personally, I like to dip with chili oil, XO sauce, chili sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce or hoisin sauce.
Instructions for how to make Chinese scallion pancakes:
Preparation:
- Put 2 cups of all purpose flour into a bowl. Then, add ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix it well.
2. Pour the flour mixture from step 1 into the Bosch mixer. Turn on the lowest setting #1, slowly add 1 cup of water. Let the mixer run for 2 minutes.
3. Take the dough out from the mixer and put it into a bowl.
4. Cover the dough with a cloth and rest for 20 minutes.
5. In the meanwhile, wash and cut 8 sticks of green onion.
6. After that, take the dough out and shape into a ball.
7. Then, divide the dough into 4 pieces.
8. Take a piece of the dough, roll and flatten out.
9. Brush some oil on the dough.
10. Sprinkle some salt on the flatten dough and put some cut green onion.
11. Roll up the dough.
12. Twist the dough a little bit.
13. After, roll the ends and stack up the dough. See the video for details. Repeat steps 6-9 and finish the rest of the dough. Also, cover the dough and rest for 30 minutes before pan frying them.
14. Brush some oil on the dough and use your palm to press down the dough and flatten it.
Cooking:
15. Pour ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into the non-stick pan, then turn on medium small fire pan fry for 2-3 minutes and cover with a lid. Next, flip the other side and cover the lid for another 2-3 minutes.
16. After, open the lid, try to pan fry and flip the scallion pancakes until it’s golden brown. (When you flip the green onion pancakes, try to use some force to slap the pancakes. It helps loosen up the layers.)
Enjoy this simple and delicious Chinese green onion pancake or cong you bing recipe! Also, check out these sugar donuts, sweet and sour pork, beef with bitter melon and baby bok choy recipes.
You May Also Like These Recipes:
Subscribe Oh My Food Recipes to get our new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Scallion Pancakes
Video
Ingredients
- 8 sticks Green onion
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil (½ tablespoon for brushing the dough & ½ tablespoon for pan frying the pancake)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt (Sprinkle on four flatten dough)
Dough:
- 2 cups All purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- Put 2 cups of all purpose flour into a bowl. Then, add ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix it well.
- Pour the flour mixture from step 1 into the Bosch mixer. Turn on the lowest setting #1, slowly add 1 cup of water. Let the mixer run for 2 minutes.
- Take the dough out from the mixer and put it into a bowl.
- Cover the dough with a cloth and rest for 20 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, wash and cut 8 sticks of green onion.
- After that, take the dough out and shape into a ball.
- Then, divide the dough into 4 pieces.
- Take a piece of the dough, roll and flatten out.
- Brush some oil on the dough.
- Sprinkle some salt on the flatten dough and put some cut green onion.
- Roll up the dough.
- Twist the dough a little bit.
- After, roll the ends and stack up the dough. See the video for details. Repeat steps 6-9 and finish the rest of the dough. Also, cover the dough and rest for 30 minutes before pan frying them.
- Brush some oil on the dough and use your palm to press down the dough and flatten it.
- Pour ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into the non-stick pan, then turn on medium small fire pan fry for 2-3 minutes and cover with a lid. Next, flip the other and cover the lid for another 2-3 minutes.
- After, open the lid, try to pan fry and flip the scallion pancakes until it’s golden brown. (When you flip the green onion pancakes, try to use some force to slap the pancakes. It helps loosen up the layers.)
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make Chinese green onion pancake:
- Use all purpose flour and mix the dough for 2 minutes. Don’t over knead the dough. Resting the dough is very important after working on it.
- Roll up the dough after putting salt and green onion. Then, twist and roll the dough a little bit. Then, roll up the ends and stack up. See the video below for details.
- Bush some oil on the dough, then use the palm to press down the dough and flatten it.
- Pan fry cong you bing with a small fire and cover with a lid for 2-3 minutes. After, flip the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Next, try to flip and pan fry the Chinese scallion pancakes until it’s golden brown. When you flip the pancakes, try to use some force to slap the pancakes because it helps loosen up the layers.
Deb
Just curious the servings say 6, but the recipe says divide dough into 4.
Am I supposed to share? 😂
Tracy O.
Hi Deb,
Thank you for your comment. I changed it to 4 now. We did share. LOL!
Kimberly
So good! The photos helped a lot! Thank you for the recipe.
Diana
Sooooo good! Great video instructions. Easy to make.
Tracy O.
Hi Diana,
Thank you for your comment! I am glad you like it.
Jessica
Could you freeze these?
Tracy O.
Yes, you can freeze them. And, you can freeze the flatten dough mixed with green onion. Just make sure to use parchment paper and lay them in between. When it hardens after a couple hours, you can put them in a ziplock bag and freeze them until you want to cook it.