Discover the delicious crunch: Homemade Chinese scallion pancakes
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 tasty and very easy to prepare at home. They taste great with hummus or as an addition to bowls with hot curry.
Even children's literature can inspire you to prepare something delicious. I found the recipe for Chinese scallion pancakes while reading "Man Zou" with my son. The dish's description sparked such interest in the young reader that he decided to prepare 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 chips.
Chinese pancakes vs. Indian paratha bread
Both of these snacks are very similar. They 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 its characteristic layered structure.
The main difference is how they are served. In Indian cuisine, paratha bread, similar to naan bread, usually accompanies hot dishes. In China, Cong you bing are standalone snacks. To enhance the taste of this Asian dish, serve them with a sauce made from sesame oil, sugar, scallions, and chilli.
Recipe for Chinese pancakes, or Cong Youbing
You can make five pancakes the size of a medium dinner plate with the ingredients listed below. Each pancake can be divided into triangles.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups of wheat flour,
- 0.5 cups of hot water,
- 1 bunch of scallions,
- salt,
- oil for frying.
Instructions:
- Mix the flour with hot water, then knead it into a ball. Cover with a cloth and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Next, transfer the dough to a floured board and roll it into a log. Divide the log into five parts.
- Form each part into a ball, then roll it into a pancake. Brush the pancakes with oil and sprinkle with salt and finely chopped scallions (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 and then on the other.
