Cong you bing scallion pancakes

Start the cong you bing with the dough. Pour all-purpose flour with a pinch of salt into a bowl and gradually add hot water at about 80 °C (176 °F). Keep stirring with a fork as you go, until the flour comes together into moist flakes that already hold together and can be gathered into a ball.

Turn the dough flakes onto a floured board and knead them for about 5 minutes, until the dough is completely smooth and pliable. If it sticks to your hands, dust with a little flour, and if it is dry, add a drop of water. Cover it with a bowl and let it rest for at least 30 minutes, so the gluten relaxes and the dough later rolls out nice and thin.

Divide the rested dough into 4 equal pieces and work with each one separately. On a floured board, roll a piece into the thinnest possible oval, then brush it with a thin layer of vegetable and sesame oil, salt it lightly and scatter chopped spring onion densely all the way to the edges.

Roll the brushed sheet tightly into a snug log, then coil the log into a spiral and tuck its end under the pancake. Press the spiral gently with your palm and carefully roll it out again into a circle about 18 cm (7 in) across. It is this coiling and re-rolling that creates the typical thin layers inside.

In a larger pan, heat a little vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the pancake and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden and crisp. Cover it with a lid now and then, so it heats through well inside between the individual layers. Fry the remaining pancakes the same way, one by one.

Cut the finished pancakes into wedges and serve them warm, while they are nicely crisp. Meanwhile stir together soy sauce, rice vinegar and chili oil in a bowl for a simple dip that the individual wedges are dunked into before eating.