Cong You Bing (Scallion Pancake)
Not okonomiyaki! Dozens of layers of crispy green onion pie
Description
Unlike Japanese Okonomiyaki or Korean Jeon which use a 'watery batter', this king of Taiwan/Chinese street food uses a kneaded wheat dough. Oil and scallions are rolled inside, folded into dozens of layers like a croissant, and pan-fried flaky and crispy.
Restaurants serving Cong You Bing (Scallion Pancake)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Scallion
- Lard(or sesame/veg oil)
- Boiling water
- Cold water
- Salt
- Five-Spice
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe & Differences]
- (Dough) Mix flour with boiling water (hot-water dough), then add cold water and knead smooth. Boiling water ensures the cooked dough is chewy, not hard.
- Roll dough into a thin rectangle.
- [The Pro Layering Skill]: Generously smear lard (or sesame oil) all over the surface. Scatter salt, Five-Spice, and massive amounts of 'chopped scallions'.
- Roll the dough up tightly into a long cigar shape, then coil that cigar into a 'snail shell' spiral.
- Smash this coil flat with a rolling pin into a pancake. This traps countless alternating layers of dough, oil, and scallions.
- Pan-fry in generous oil until both sides are golden and crispy. Smash the edges inward with a spatula to fluff the layers.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense roasted aroma of scallions and lard(oil)
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Frozen Paratha is similar in texture)
Pairing
Soy Milk / Taiwan Beer
Trivia
[Trivia] Symbolizes the greatness of Chinese wheat foods (Mian Shi). A famous Chinese urban legend (joke) claims Marco Polo ate Cong You Bing in China, loved it, and tried to recreate it back home, thus inventing 'Pizza'.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Handed over in a paper bag hot off the griddle, eaten while walking. The outside shatters flakily like pie crust, while the inside is chewy and oozes savory scallion juice. In Taiwan, it's often eaten wrapped around fried eggs or ham.
Allergen
Wheat, Sesame