You Need Scallion Pancakes in Your Life

Scallion pancakes, which in Chinese are called “cong you bing,” aren’t anything like the fluffy breakfast dish smothered in treacly maple syrup. The Far East pancake is made using dough, rather than batter, and it’s deeply savory thanks to nutty sesame oil and bright scallions. After being shaped into thin discs, the cakes take a deep-fried bath in simmering canola or vegetable oil.

Serious Eats notes that the process isn’t all that dissimilar from making puff pastry or croissants (minus the frying). As is true of both those treats, there’s a good bit if kneading involved: When you think you’ve kneaded enough, go ahead and knead some more!

In the Saveur video here, chef Martin Yan walks us through the steps. And he is entertaining. Really, really entertaining. At one point, Yan tells the camera, “Don’t blink!” then nearly strikes the lens with a hunk of dough. Very cheeky, Martin.

Try out Saveur’s recipe, or give this similar version from Serious Eats a whirl. Also consider this intriguing recipe from Food52, a rendition that calls for brushing the dough with an pungent layer of scallion-infused oil.

They’d probably pair excellently with these dumplings, an earthy tea cocktail, and an unctuous plate of Peking duck. So what if Chinese New Year is still half a year away: There’s no reason not to get down with a scallion pancake–filled Chinese feast right now.