How to master Chinese scallion pancakes at home
Chinese scallion pancakes offer a bold taste and a delightful crunch. In China, this savoury snack is available at stalls selling pancakes and buns on every corner. However, these pancakes are not only tasty but also very easy to prepare at home. They taste great with hummus or as an addition to bowls with hot curry.
Even in children's literature, you can find inspiration to prepare something delicious. I found the recipe for Chinese scallion pancakes while reading the book "Man Zou". The dish's description sparked such interest in the young reader that he prepared the snack himself. I’m thinking of replicating his achievement at the next house party because – not only in my opinion – the Chinese pancakes turned out better than crisps.
Chinese pancakes vs. Indian paratha bread
Both of these snacks are very similar. Both pancakes are prepared with wheat flour scalded with boiling water. The dough is folded multiple times and fried in a pan with hot oil, resulting in their characteristic layered structure.
The main difference lies in how they are served. In Indian cuisine, paratha bread usually accompanies hot dishes, similar to naan bread. In China, cong youbing are standalone snacks. To enhance the taste of this Asian dish, serve them with a sauce based on sesame oil mixed with sugar, scallions, and chilli.
Recipe for Chinese pancakes, or cong youbing
With the ingredients listed below, you can make 5 pancakes the size of a medium dinner plate. Each pancake can be divided into triangles.
Ingredients:
- 195 grams of wheat flour,
- 120 millilitres of hot water,
- 1 bunch of spring onions,
- salt,
- oil for frying.
Instructions:
- Mix the flour with the hot water, then knead it into a ball. Cover with a cloth and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Next, transfer the dough onto a floured board and roll it into a log. Divide it into 5 parts.
- Form each part into a ball, then roll it out into a pancake. Brush the pancakes with oil and sprinkle with salt and finely chopped spring onions (including the green part).
- Roll the pancakes into cylinders, then twist them into spirals like a snail shell. Roll out the pancakes again.
- Fry in a pan with hot oil until golden brown – first on one side, then on the other.
