Spring onion pancakes (cong you bing) | SCMP Cooking

Spring onion pancakes (cong you bing) ; 400g (3½ cup). plain (all-purpose) flour ; 5g (1tsp). fine sea salt ; 250ml (1 cup). water at 65°C (150°F) ; 50g (1¾oz). Home TheChef'sway VideoserieswithHongKong'stopchefs CookingTips Learnthebasictechniquesfromthebest MyBookmarks Finduson Chinese Springonionpancakes(congyoubing) Medium30mins45minstorestthedough6peopleFacebookTwitterWhatsAppMessengerEmail Susansays Thereareseveraltypesofcongyoubing(springonioncakes,alsospelledchongyoubing).Someshopsmakedelicate,flakycakes,almostlikepuffpastry,whiletheotherextremeishearty,heavyandoily.TheonesIlikebestaresomewhereinbetween–slightlycrispontheoutside,flakyandtenderwithin,andsturdybutpliableenoughtouseasawrap.ThemostdeliciousspringonioncakesI’veeverhadwereatTianjinCongZhuaBing,onYongKangStreet,Taipei,Taiwan.Thecooksattheroadsidestallusedaninterestingtechniquetomakethemflakier:whenthecakeswerereadyonthegriddle,theyscrunchedeachoneupusingametalspatulaandtongs.InadditiontothetrickusedbythecooksatTianjinCongZhuaBing,thesecrettoflakycongyoubingistoinitiallyrollthedoughsothinthatit’salmosttranslucent.Thesheetofdoughshouldthenbelooselyrolledaroundthespringonions,trappingairbetweenthelayers.Usealightlyoiledworksurfaceandrollingpin;theoilpreventsthelayersfromstickingtogether.Donotuseflourontheworksurfaceoryourhands.Manyrecipeswillhaveyoumixtheflourwithhotandcoolwaterwithoutspecifyingthetemperatureoftheliquid.Instead,Iusesemi-hotwaterat65°C.Ioftenmakeadoublebatchofcongyoubingandfreezethem,withoutthesauceoregg(ifusing).Allyouneedtodoisthawthecakes,thenreheatthemonalightlyoiledpanplacedoveramedium-highflame,beforeserving. Ingredients Forthecongyoubing 400g(3½cup) plain(all-purpose)flour 5g(1tsp) fineseasalt 250ml(1cup) waterat65°C(150°F) 50g(1¾oz) springonions 100ml(6¾tbsp) cookingoil,plusextraforoilingthemixingbowl,thedoughballsandtheworksurface 6 largeeggs(optional) Forthesauce 50g(1¾oz) hoisinsauce 10-15ml(2tsp-1tbsp) ricevinegar 15ml(1tbsp) lightsoysauce 10-15g(2-3tsp) granulatedsugar ½tsp sesameoil DirectionsPuttheflourinthebowlofaheavydutymixerfittedwiththedoughhook.Mixinthesalt.Withthemotorrunningonlowspeed,pourinthewater.Increasethespeedtomediumandmixforfiveminutes.Thedoughshouldformaballandcomeawayfromthesidesofthemixingbowl,andwillbeslightlystickyandquitestretchy.(Ifyouwanttomixbyhand,makeadoughwiththeflour,saltandwater,thenkneadvigorouslyforabout15minutes.Itwillbeverystickyatfirst,butwhenit’sready,itwillstretchyandjustslightlysticky.)1/8Weighthedoughanddividetheweightbysix.Splitthedoughintosixevenpiecesandshapethemintosmooth,roundballs,thenplaceeachoneonalightlyoiledtray.Rubalittleoilovereachballsoit’scoatedinathinlayer.Coverthedoughballswithaclean,drydishclothandleavetorestwhilepreparingthesauce.2/8Putthesauceingredientsinasmallpanplacedoveralowflameandstiruntilthesugarisdissolved.Tastethesauce–itshouldbebalanced,withsavoury,saltyandsweetflavours.Correcttheseasonings,ifnecessary,thenleavetocool.Finelymincethespringonions.3/8Onthelightlyoiledworksurface,rolloutonepieceofdoughintoarectanglethat’sabout30cmx18cm(12x7in).Scatter⅙ofthemincedspringonionsovertherectangle.Startingatonelongend,looselyfoldupabout1cm(7/16in)oftheentireside,thencontinuetolooselyrollthelongendoverandoveruntilyoureachthehalfwaypointoftherectangle.Startfromtheotherlongendandrepeattheprocess.4/8Pinchtheentirelengthofthedoughwherethetworollsmeettosealinthespringonions,thengentlystretchthedoughsoit’sabout40cm(15¾in)long.Withyourleftandrighthandsworkingsimultaneously,startcoilingthefarendsofthedoughtowardsthecentre,untiltheymeet.Twistoneofthecoilssothetwoformafigure8,thenplaceonecoilontopoftheotherandpressgently.Placethecoilontheworksurfaceandshapetheotherpiecesofdoughthesameway.5/8Cookthecongyoubingimmediatelyaftershapingallthedoughballs(ifyouwaittoolong,themoisturefromthespringonionswillseepthroughthelayers).Heataskilletabout20cm(8in)indiameter,andpreferablyblackcastiron,overamediumflame.Pourabout10ml(2tsp)ofoilintotheskilletandcontinuetoheat.Quicklyrolloutonepieceofdoughsoitis3mm(⅛in)thickandabout18cm(7in)indiameterandlayitonthehotpan.Cookuntilthebottomisstartingtosetandispalegoldeninspots,thenturnitover.Flipthecongyoubingquitefrequently,adjustingtheflameasneeded;don’tletitbrowntooquicklyorgetoverlydark,whichwouldmaketheexteriortoohard.Addmoreoiltotheskilletwhennecessary.Afteraboutfourminutes,usetwospatulas(oraspatulaandtongs)–oneheldineachhand–toroughlypresstheoppositesidesofthecaketowardsthecentre,tofluffupthelayers.Turnthecakeslightlyandrepeatthepressingprocessseveraltimes–thisshouldbedonequickly.Adjusttheheattohighandbrownbothsidesofthecake;theyneedfivetosixminutesintotaltocook.Cooktheremainingcakesthesameway.6/8Brushthesauceononesideofthecongyoubing,foldinhalfandeathot.7/8Ifyoulike,whiskaneggwhilethecongyoubingisstillintheskillet.Whenit’sfullycooked,liftthecakeandpourtheeggintotheskillet.Immediatelyplacethecakeontopandcookuntiltheeggisset.Brushtheegg-sideofthecakewiththesaucebeforefoldinginhalftoeat.8/8 Chinese Sidedish Eggs Balanced Dairy-Free Kosher Peanut-Free Pescatarian Vegetarian Medium Dietdefinitions Likingthisrecipe? 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