Diary of an Inconsistent Cook #43: Chinese Scallion Pancake (Congyoubing) #homecooking

More bread! Making your own bread is one of the most satisfying things you can accomplish in the kitchen for pennies and just a little effort (think of it as justifying the calories). My regular readers already know about my love for the breads and their kin. I have made passable fry bread, decent roti, edible tortillas, a gigantic buss up shut, and quick breads. I have also made stuffed flatbreads before such as Indian aloo paratha (potato stuffed) and dal poori (Trinidadian lentil stuffed).

Whenever I go to a Chinese-American restaurant, I am always disappointed if I try to order something that I think should be a scallion pancake. Soggy and tastes like moo goo gai pan. It’s not that I dislike Americanized Asian-Inspired foods, some are quite tasty and others are just epic fails. I have not had the pleasure of eating in an authentic Chinese restaurant since 2006. To further my woes, the mom and pop Korean place closed, and so did the family owned Vietnamese place that felt like I was eating in someone’s house. I am in such despair!

So what is a woman to do? Make it my damn self!

flour + egg + super hot water

Roll thin. Brush with oil.

Roll into a tube. I didn’t put on near enough scallions.

Curl the tube into a cinnamon roll shape

Flatten and roll out.

Air bubbles are normal; just roll it flat carefully

Cook in an oiled pan.

Crispy goodness!

Not a bad first attempt!

The recipe is a simple mixture of flour, eggs, super hot water, salt, oil, and finely chopped scallions. It is so easy! Alas, I done fupped it up. My pan was not hot enough and while the outside was gorgeously crispy, the inside was under cooked. I didn’t chop the scallions fine enough, didn’t use enough, and couldn’t roll the dough as thin as I wanted. A turn in the microwave made it edible, but it just lost its flaky fluff. All things considered, it was still miles better than anything I could buy!

I looked at several videos and recipes. Find the recipe I used here: Angel Wong’s Kitchen

Here is one of the videos I followed in my research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iew9c7wDfgM

I hope you try it. Good luck!

2 comments on “Diary of an Inconsistent Cook #43: Chinese Scallion Pancake (Congyoubing) #homecooking”

Susanne
January 9, 2016

Talk about synchronicity! I made crepes tonight with my brand new, fancy-Dan crepe pan. I stuffed them with chicken, spinach, feta, mushrooms, and proscuitto and poured marinara sauce on top. 5 out of 5 liked them which is an occasion as rare as finding gold doubloons in the back yard.

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- Laissez Faire
  January 9, 2016
  
  Gosh, I haven’t made crepes in years! My favorite was Apple 🙂
  
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