Cong You Bing (Scallion Pancakes)
The Shanghai street-stall classic — a hot-water dough rolled, coiled, and flattened around a spiral of toasted sesame oil and scallion, then pan-fried until the layers shatter into flaky, savory shards.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour2 cups
- boiling water1/2 cup
- cold water1/4 cup
- toasted sesame oil3 tbsp
- all-purpose flour (for roux)2 tbsp
- fine sea salt1 tsp
- scallions6, finely sliced
- neutral oil (for frying)3 tbsp
Steps
Make and rest the dough.
In a bowl, pour the boiling water into the flour while stirring with chopsticks, then add the cold water. Knead 5 minutes into a smooth, soft dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
Make the sesame roux.
Warm the sesame oil and stir in the 2 tbsp flour to make a loose, pourable roux. Set aside.
Prepare and fill the dough ovals.
Divide the rested dough into 4 pieces. Roll each into a very thin oval. Brush with the sesame roux, sprinkle with salt and a generous handful of scallions.
Roll and coil the dough spirals.
Roll each oval tightly into a rope, then coil the rope into a flat spiral and tuck the end underneath. Rest 10 minutes, then roll each spiral into a 6-inch pancake.
Fry the pancakes until crisp.
Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a skillet over medium. Fry each pancake 2-3 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp. Cut into wedges and serve hot.
Nutrition, per serving. 215 calories. Protein 5.3 grams, 9 percent. Carbs 32.1 grams, 56 percent. Fat 8.7 grams, 34 percent. Fiber 1.8 grams, sugar 1 grams, saturated fat 1.2 grams, sodium 370 milligrams. Estimated from ingredients.
