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This recipe comes from Yang Liu’s new cookbook Vegan Asian Street Food, a pick from our Climate Cookbook series. Read more about it here.
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RECIPE: Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)
- Yield: Makes 4
Description
Scallion pancakes are loved for their crispy, flaky layers and savory flavor. Easy to make, they’re the essence of comfort food and are just right for breakfast, lunch, or a late-night snack. The dough is rolled out thinly, brushed with oil, and sprinkled generously with chopped scallions, then folded and rolled again to create multiple layers. Once cooked on a hot griddle, the outside becomes golden and crispy while the inside remains soft and chewy, with the scallions adding extra aroma and taste. They’re an example of how basic ingredients can be transformed into something truly delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 5 oz (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp) water
- 3 1/2 Tbsps canola oil
- 6 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice, divided
Instructions
- Mix the flour with a pinch of salt and the water, and knead to form a dough. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan over high heat until the oil reaches about 456°F. To check whether the oil is hot enough, hold a wooden chopstick in the oil. If it is immediately surrounded by tiny bubbles, the oil is ready to use. Place the scallions in a small bowl and pour the hot oil over the top to make scallion oil.
- Divide the dough into 4 portions and shape each into a round. Using a rolling pin, roll out one round on a lightly floured surface until very thin. Brush with scallion oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and five-spice.
- Carefully roll up the thin dough round, pull the roll a little longer with your hands, then encircle the roll around one end to form a dough spiral that resembles a cinnamon roll. Flatten the spiral with your palm to make a round pancake. Repeat with the remaining dough portions.
- Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat until hot. Add a pancake, reduce heat to low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until one side is golden. Flip and repeat to cook the other side. Repeat with remaining pancakes.
Excerpted with permission from Vegan Asian Street Food: Over 80 plant-based recipes for every occasion by: Yang Liu. Published by Hardie Grant Publishing, January 2026, RRP $32.99. Hardcover.
