ramyaramesh3007These crispy and flaky Chinese-style savoury pancakes are crunchy, addictive and an absolute delight to munch on, when paired with a soy-sesame dipping sauce.
My first experience with these pancakes were at little shops in my neighbourhood hawker centre that would sell different styles of crispy pancakes. I tried them once or twice but never noticed the simplicity and brilliance of the pancake – we’ve come across many scallion pancake recipes on the Internet but the addition of leeks give it a slight hint of sweetness paired with the tang and acidity from the spring onions.
Savoury pancakes are usually an instant hit for me, and these taste absolutely amazing. The layers are filled with generous amounts of chopped spring onions and leeks with a hint of sichuan pepper so every bite you take will have the right balance of flavours.
These pancakes are also known as Cong You Bing (葱油饼) and they are a savoury pastry-type flatbread, originating from northern China.
Tips to make the perfect pancake
There are certain steps in this recipe, that might leave you wondering – why do it this way? Here I will give you some tips that I’ve learnt during the recipe testing phase to maximise flavour of these delicious flatbreads!
Kneading dough
I’ve tried 2 versions – using a mix of hot and cold water as well as using just hot water to mix the dough. I found that both versions worked well for the dough, but in this recipe I will be using boiling water.
Filling
I like to use both parts of the spring onions and leeks to add to the filling. I find that it looks very appealing, colour wise and also tastes very balanced.
Flakiness of pastry
Add some flour to the filling. The paste should have a good mix of flour and oil for it to have the perfect texture.
Scallion and Leek Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup boiling water
Filling
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp sichuan pepper powder
- 1/2 cup chopped spring onions
- 1/2 cup chopped leeks
- pinch salt
Soy-sesame dipping sauce
- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp agave syrup
Instructions
- Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and add boiling hot water. Use chopsticks to stir until a rough dough combines.
- Use your hand to combine further – the dough does not have to be smooth looking. Cover for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make your filling by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and giving it a mix. Add more oil if mixture is too thick.
- Knead the dough for a few minutes until it becomes smooth. Cut and divide into 6 pieces.
- Add some oil on a smooth surface and roll out a piece of dough into a rectangle. Add the filling and loosely roll it up.
- Twist and roll the dough again until it looks like a snail shell. Roll this again until you get a nice, thin pancake.
- Repeat this process for the rest of the dough pieces.
- Heat up your pan and brush with some olive oil. Add the pancake and pan fry for a few minutes on both sides until crispy.
- Mix the ingredients for soy sesame sauce. Slice the pancakes into four and serve!