Best for: The flaky pancake worth rolling out for.
Cong you bing is not a batter pancake — it is a laminated dough: rolled thin, brushed with scallion oil, scattered with scallions, coiled like a rope, and rolled out again so the finished pancake separates into dozens of flaky layers. On the griddle it fries up crisp and shattering outside, chewy inside. It is built completely differently from Korean pajeon, which is scallions set in batter; this one is all dough and layers.
Griddle: Flat-top griddle or large cast-iron griddle over medium heat on the grill; 375°F. Equipment: Griddle, rolling pin, wide spatula, small brush.
Ingredients
Rest: 30 minutes. Total: 1 hour 7 minutes.
Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup hot water, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon fine table salt
Scallion oil filling and frying
- 1 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 1 bunch)
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil, plus more for the griddle
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for the oil paste)
- 1 teaspoon fine table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder (optional)
Directions
Stir the flour and salt with the hot water into a shaggy dough, then knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Warm the 3 tablespoons of neutral oil with the 2 tablespoons of flour, the salt, and the five-spice, if using, into a thin paste; let it cool. This oil paste is what separates the layers.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a thin rectangle, brush with the oil paste, and scatter with a quarter of the scallions.
Roll the rectangle up into a tight rope, coil the rope into a snail, and tuck the end under. Rest the coils for 5 minutes of the cook time, then roll each coil out into a 7-inch pancake.
Heat the griddle to 375°F and film it with neutral oil. Fry the pancakes for 3–4 minutes per side, pressing gently with the spatula, until deeply golden, crisp, and blistered.
Scrunch each pancake once between your palms or with two spatulas to loosen the layers, tear or cut into wedges, and serve hot.
Grilling tip: The scrunch at the end is real technique, not theater — it separates the layers so the pancake eats flaky instead of bready.
