Flaky Scallion Pancakes with Warm Savoury Soy Milk

⏱ 75 min · Serves 4

Shatteringly crisp, ribboned with green onion and layered with sesame-scented oil paste — these cong you bing are everything a good one should be. Served the Taipei breakfast way, alongside a bowl of hot soy milk shot through with vinegar so it curdles into silky clouds, with chilli oil, pickles and crunchy croutons of pancake dunked in.

Per serving: 540 kcal · 19.0g protein · 63.0g carbs · 23.0g fat

Ingredients

• 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 190ml just-boiled water
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 3 tbsp neutral oil (plus more for frying)
• 2 tbsp plain flour (for the oil paste)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp flaky salt
• 8 spring onions, finely sliced (green and pale parts)
• 1 litre unsweetened soy milk
• 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang)
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp dried baby shrimp, rinsed (optional)
• 2 tbsp chopped preserved mustard greens or zha cai, rinsed
• 1 tbsp chilli oil, plus more to serve
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 extra spring onion, sliced, to garnish

Method

1. Put the 300g flour and fine salt in a bowl. Pour in the just-boiled water while stirring with chopsticks, then knead on a lightly oiled surface for 5 minutes until smooth and soft. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
2. Make the oil paste: heat the 3 tbsp neutral oil until shimmering, take off the heat and whisk in the 2 tbsp flour, sesame oil and five-spice. It should be a loose, glossy roux. Cool slightly.
3. Divide the dough into 4. Roll one piece as thin as you can into a rough rectangle. Spread thinly with oil paste, sprinkle with flaky salt and a generous handful of spring onions.
4. Roll up tightly from the long edge into a rope, stretch it gently, then coil into a spiral and tuck the end underneath. Repeat with the rest and rest the coils 15 minutes.
5. Flatten each coil with your palm, then roll to about 15cm across — press gently so the layers stay intact.
6. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy frying pan over medium. Fry each pancake 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden and blistered, pressing the edges down. Slide onto a board and, while hot, scrunch the pancake between your hands to fluff the layers. Keep warm.
7. For the soy milk, divide the vinegar, soy sauce, dried shrimp, mustard greens, chilli oil and sesame seeds between 4 deep bowls.
8. Heat the soy milk until steaming but not boiling, then pour it from a height into each bowl — don't stir. It will set into soft curds within seconds. Scatter with spring onion.
9. Cut the pancakes into wedges and serve at once with the soy milk, extra chilli oil for dipping.