🥞 Scallion pancakes
Scallion pancakes are flaky, layered flatbreads made by brushing a flour dough with sesame oil, scattering it with scallions and salt, then coiling and flattening it before pan-frying. The result is crisp and golden on the outside with soft, chewy layers inside and a nutty sesame aroma. They are cut into wedges and served hot with a dipping sauce.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g plain flour
- 180 ml hot water
- 5 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp neutral oil for frying
- 1 tsp salt
Method
- Stir the hot water into the flour, knead into a smooth dough and rest it for 30 minutes.
- Divide into 4 and roll each piece into a thin sheet.
- Brush with sesame oil, sprinkle with salt and scallions, roll into a log and coil into a spiral.
- Flatten each spiral to about 5 mm thick.
- Fry in a little oil over medium heat for 3–4 minutes per side until crisp, then cut into wedges.
How to make it lighter
- A thin brush of sesame oil gives plenty of flavour — 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
- Cook in a non-stick pan with just a teaspoon of oil per pancake.
- Serve half a pancake alongside a broth or vegetable dish rather than as a whole meal.
History
Scallion pancakes (cong you bing) are a staple of northern Chinese street food and are also hugely popular in Shanghai and Taiwan. They are related to other laminated flatbreads of the region, though no reliable date or inventor is known.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →