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Pancakes from Taiwan
Taiwanese Scallion Pancakes
If you walk through a street market in Taiwan, you will probably smell something warm, crispy, and a little bit oniony. That’s cong you bing, or Taiwanese scallion pancakes. They are not sweet like Western pancakes. Instead, they are savory, crispy outside, and soft and chewy inside. Many people in Taiwan eat them for breakfast or as a late-night snack.
Scallion pancakes came from northern China. After 1949, many mainland Chinese moved to Taiwan and brought their recipes with them. Over time, Taiwanese cooks changed the pancake slightly, sometimes adding sweet potato flour to make it more elastic and chewy. Today, it’s one of the most loved street foods on the island.
In Taiwan, some stalls sell only scallion pancakes—and nothing else. The most famous ones often have long lines, and people are happy to wait just for one hot, crispy pancake.
Where to try them
In Taipei, you can find excellent scallion pancakes almost everywhere. One popular place is Yongkang Street, known for its street food. A famous stall there is Tian Jin Onion Pancake, where people line up for freshly fried pancakes with egg or basil.
Simple Scallion Pancake Recipe:
Ingredients:
200 g all-purpose flour
50 g sweet potato flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
200–220 ml water
3–4 green onions, chopped
Oil for frying
Steps
Mix both flours, salt, and white pepper.
Add water slowly and stir into a soft dough.
Mix in the green onions.
Rest for 20–30 minutes.
Fry with a little oil until both sides are golden and crispy.
Serve hot, with soy sauce or chili sauce if you like.
If you walk through a street market in Taiwan, you will probably smell something warm, crispy, and a little bit oniony. That’s cong you bing, or Taiwanese scallion pancakes. They are not sweet like Western pancakes. Instead, they are savory, crispy outside, and soft and chewy inside. Many people in Taiwan eat them for breakfast or as a late-night snack.
Scallion pancakes came from northern China. After 1949, many mainland Chinese moved to Taiwan and brought their recipes with them. Over time, Taiwanese cooks changed the pancake slightly, sometimes adding sweet potato flour to make it more elastic and chewy. Today, it’s one of the most loved street foods on the island.
In Taiwan, some stalls sell only scallion pancakes—and nothing else. The most famous ones often have long lines, and people are happy to wait just for one hot, crispy pancake.
Where to try them
In Taipei, you can find excellent scallion pancakes almost everywhere. One popular place is Yongkang Street, known for its street food. A famous stall there is Tian Jin Onion Pancake, where people line up for freshly fried pancakes with egg or basil.
Simple Scallion Pancake Recipe:
Ingredients:
200 g all-purpose flour
50 g sweet potato flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
200–220 ml water
3–4 green onions, chopped
Oil for frying
Steps
Mix both flours, salt, and white pepper.
Add water slowly and stir into a soft dough.
Mix in the green onions.
Rest for 20–30 minutes.
Fry with a little oil until both sides are golden and crispy.
Serve hot, with soy sauce or chili sauce if you like.
Vocabulary
- Flour – a soft powder made from ground grains, used for baking and cooking.мука
- Sweet potato flour – a fine powder made from dried sweet potatoes, used to make food more soft and chewy.Мука из сладкого картофеля (батата)
- White pepper – a light-colored spice made from dried pepper seeds, with a mild, warm taste.Белый перец
- Green onion – a long, thin vegetable with a mild onion flavor, often used fresh in cooking.Зелёный лук
Vocabulary for the video
- Consistency – how thick or thin something is.
Example: The dough has a thick consistency.Консистенция - Pan – a flat metal dish used for cooking food on the stove.
Example: Heat the oil in a pan.Сковорода - To pour – to make liquid flow from one container into another.
Example: Pour the water into the bowl.Наливать - To flip – to turn something over quickly.
Example: Flip the pancake when it is golden.Переворачивать
Could you find...?
Could you find green onions?
Could you find sweet potato?
Could you find white pepper?
Great work! Well done!
Tilda Publishing
Questions to discuss with your teacher:
- Have you tried pancakes in different countries? Which ones did you really like?
- Do you like to cook? Why /why not?
- Do you know how to cook pancakes? Share your favorite recipe!