Turning Frozen Pancakes into 3 Chinese Street Foods

From breakfast wraps to stuffed meat pies

A few weeks ago, I shared a scallion pancake recipe. But here’s the truth (slash confession): I buy the frozen kind all the time. My typical (big) Asian grocery haul almost always includes frozen dumplings, dim sum, and—more often than not—scallion pancakes. I love making them from scratch, but when life gets busy, these are a lifesaver. (Of course, if you’ve followed along and got homemade ones, they’ll work just as well.)

You can find them in the freezer aisle of most large Asian grocery stores, often named 手抓饼 (shouzhua bing) or 葱油饼 (congyou bing)—and in some places, even at Trader Joe’s. My go-to brands are Synear (思念) and Liangquanqimei (粮全其美), and you’d find both the scallion and plain versions. Each pack comes with 4–5 thin pancakes, separated by parchment. Just peel one out and toss it in a pan—ready in minutes. They take up almost no space in the freezer, and they’re incredibly versatile. Most of the time, I use them to make a quick wrap—something that reminds me of shou zhua bing (手抓饼), cong zhua bing (葱抓饼), or jidan guan bing (鸡蛋灌饼)—street food staples you’ll find on corners all over China. These are fried pancakes brushed or layered with beaten egg, then filled with things like sausage, Spam, chicken, or beef.

scallion pancake wrap

Back in college, and later during internships in Beijing and Chengdu, I’d grab one from the street and carry it through rush hour, weaving through crowds in the subways. These days, they’ve become my quick dinner fix or lazy weekend brunch in Berlin—an easy way to bring a little street food feeling to my rather quiet home.

As a longtime Bing lover, I realized you can use these frozen pancakes as a base for more than just wraps. You can even recreate other street foods made with laminated dough, like Jiang Xiang Bing (酱香饼). Originating from the Tu ethnic group in Hubei province, this snack exploded in popularity in the 2010s. It’s a giant pancake brushed with a savory-sweet sauce, cut into pieces, and served in a plastic bag to eat with toothpicks. I used to eat these right on the sidewalk. Just when I thought these snacks were disappearing from Chinese streets, I stumbled upon many of them in both Chengdu and smaller cities like Ya’an.

saucy pancake bites (酱香饼)

Then my mind drifted further—could I even make a shortcut version of xianbing (馅饼), or Chinese meat pies? The home version of these pies is normally made with a non-laminated dough, but there are also street food classics like Sichuan guokui flatbread (军屯锅盔) or the Shaanxi-style beef pie (宫廷牛肉饼), which uses a roux-like oil paste, and I’ve made stuffed daikon pancakes (萝卜丝饼) with a dough enriched with oil before. As it turns out, the answer is yes. The trick is thawing the frozen pancakes just enough so they’re soft and pliable, but not so much that they become sticky and hard to handle. Sure, the texture isn’t quite the same as freshly made dough—but since we’re talking shortcuts, I’m okay with that.

street stands of saucy pancake (Ya’an) and stuffed pancakes (Chengdu), 2025

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Scallion Pancake Wrap (手抓饼, Shouzhua Bing)

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 frozen scallion pancake

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp sweet flour sauce (tianmianjiang)

• 1 tsp chili oil

• black sesame seeds

• fillings of your choice

Instructions

1. Remove the frozen pancake from the package. In a nonstick or well-seasoned pan, optionally brush with some oil, place one pancake and heat over medium until both sides are golden.

2. Turn the heat to medium-low. Crack an egg directly onto the pancake, then quickly mix and spread it over the surface. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds on top of the egg.

3. Add a few drops of oil around the pancake, then flip it so the egg side is down. Cook until the egg is set.

4. Brush with the non-egg side with sweet flour sauce and chili oil, and add your fillings.
   Transfer to a cutting board or plate, roll it up, and cut in half. Use parchment or toothpicks to help keep it together, if needed.

Filling ideas:

• Meats: Cooked or rotisserie chicken, Chinese sausage, huotuichang (Chinese starch sausage), spam, cold cuts, sliced braised beef

• Veggies: Lettuce, cucumber, tomato, kimchi, Chinese luobogan, shredded cooked potatoes

• Extras: Pork floss, Kewpie mayo, chili oil and sauces

• Fun addition: Avocado, potato chips

Another pancake wrap with kimchi and spam

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Saucy Pancake Bites (酱香饼, Jiang Xiang Bing)

Ingredients

• 2 frozen scallion pancakes

For the sauce:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil

• ½ medium onion, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp doubanjiang

• 1 tbsp soybean paste

• 1 tbsp tomato paste (or ketchup)

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

• 1 tbsp sweet flour sauce (tianmianjiang)

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp cornstarch

• 4 tbsp water

Garnish:

• chopped scallion greens

• white sesame seeds

Instructions

1. To make the sauce: Mix all sauce ingredients (except onion, garlic, and oil) until smooth. Heat oil in a pan. Add onion and garlic, sauté until translucent (1–2 minutes). Add the sauce mixture. Cook for 2 minutes, then add water. Simmer for another 2–3 minutes. Set aside.

2. Wipe out the pan. Fry each frozen pancake over medium heat without adding oil until both sides are golden brown.

3. Brush each pancake with 1–2 tsp of the sauce. Sprinkle with scallions and white sesame seeds. Cut into small squares or triangles and serve.

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Stuffed Meat Pie (馅饼, Xianbing)

Makes: 3 pancakes

Ingredients

• 3 frozen scallion pancakes

• 150 g (5 oz.) ground meat (pork or beef)

• ½ onion, finely chopped

• 3 slices ginger, minced

• 1 scallion, sliced

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

• ½ tsp sesame oil

• ½ tsp salt

• white or black sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Thaw frozen pancakes for about 15-30 minutes, until soft but not fully defrosted. (If using fresh, use after rolling out.)

2. In a bowl, combine the meat, onion, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and salt. Mix well until smooth.

3. Spoon 2–3 tbsp of filling onto the center of each pancake. Make a few small cuts around the edges, then fold them in to seal the filling and form a parcel. Press sesame seeds onto the surface.

4. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan over medium heat. Place the pancakes seam side down, cover, and cook for 3 minutes or until golden. Flip and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Serve hot.