Back in February I wrote about a savory crepe-like dish I had eaten in Beijing, China two years ago. 
We didn’t know the name of the pancakes and after attempts to find a similar recipe on-line we were unsuccessful. We started buying and making cong yu bing, another type of Chinese pancake made with a dough instead of a batter (also very good, but a very different dish), to fill the void. After I shared a friend’s recipe for con you bing with you in February, someone left a comment saying that they had loved a dish like the one I had tasted in Beijing when they were studying abroad in Taiwan. Based on that comment I was able to do some more digging and I finally figured out what we had eaten in Beijing–jian bing! From what I’ve read jian bing is a very popular street food dish in China. You can get one wrapped around a large fried dough crisp (like a big wonton) or fried bread stick (like a churro, but not sweet), but the ones we ate were just topped with fried egg, green onions, and a spicy chili sauce. See how it’s done in China:
Based on my newfound knowledge I found a recipe and have already made jian bing twice this week–once for Squirrel and I, and once for my parents. 
They are so quick and easy that I think we will be eating them a lot. And that spicy chili garlic paste that I wrote about on Wednesday? Yep, a little bit is perfect spread on jian bing. YUM.
Jian Bing (Chinese Breakfast Crepes)
Adapted from Angie’s Recipes
Makes approximately 8 medium-sized pancakes (or 4 large pancakes)
3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. semolina flour
1 cup water
4 eggs, lightly beaten (2 for batter, 2 for topping)
Salt
Chili sauce
Scallions, thinly sliced
1. Whisk together flour, 2 eggs, and water together until well-combined and lump free.
2. Spray a large skillet generously with cooking spray, or brush with a bit of vegetable oil, and heat over medium-low heat. Pour 3-4 tablespoons of batter onto the middle of the pan and tilt pan in a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly and spreads out to make a thin crepe.
3. Pour some egg evenly over the crepe and then sprinkle with scallions and a pinch of salt. Cook the pancake for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the egg is set.
4. Flip the crepe, brush with chili sauce and cook for about 30 seconds, and then fold crepe into quarters and serve. Repeat process with remaining batter.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Way cool! My husband is constantly making crepes…I’ll have to show him the video and see if he has tried this in Biejing…he just went there last Dec. Thanks!
Great stuff! Thanks for the recipe.
Holy crap, that looks so good. I’m copying this recipe down right now!
Bob– You always crap me up! Can’t wait to hear if you make some!
ooooh my goodness! You don’t know how happy you’ve made me! THIS was a dish I loved even more than Dan Bing when I was in Taiwan!! I’d never seen them so BIG though, where I went they would roll them up in little cylinders then cut it into like 4 bite size pieces to eat with chopsticks! I’m definitely going to try this this weekend, I can’t wait to share a little bit of Taiwan with friends!
Those look so good… and there is so much you could smear on them (I’m thinking green chili).
looks delicious!
This looks divine…I usually eat crepes but you take it to another level… simply delicious!
Surprise to see they have adopted the French method of cooking crepe, especially the griddle and the crepe spreading tool. Those commercial crepe griddle are very efficient and able to precisely set the right temperature. The crepe spreader is very foreign to the Chinese. Have a look at the French (Brittany) crepe cooking at http://ethnocooking.blogspot.com/search/label/buckwheat%20crepe
Those sound so good, better than the stuff I ate in Beijing! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This looks delicious. Once you’ve mastered the crepe, you can play with many different fillings too. I like that.
I grew up eating the long churro-like fried dough which you mentioned. The Thai people have borrowed that from the Chinese and changed its appearance a little bit. Ours are shorter and come in pairs in the manner of the Siamese twins. I eat them dipped in sweetened condensed milk while pretending I’m eating raw carrot sticks to minimize the guilt. :)
Oh Leela, that sounds beyond good! Do you have a recipe? YUM!
I don’t think I tell you enough how much I LOVE your blog! I really love the article at the beginning of each post to entice us, the great pics and how you follow up with the recipe. I really feel like I am flipping through a cookbook written by a favorite friend. :)
I am so jazzed by you, I just may put a plug in for ya over on my blog…
♥ Jen
Oh, how interesting! My Taiwanese mom makes a Sandra Lee-d up version of this with flour tortillas, egg and scallions. My brother and I love it with hoisin and chili paste. I had no idea it had an actual name or recipe.
the flour they use in the authentic jian bing is a mixture of mung bean flour and millet flour, no baking sode or other rising agents. just the flours and water. these two flours give the pancake its springy consistency, isntead of being mushy like normal flour.
the crispy bit your husband had in his jian bing is called “bao cui”, which has a literal translation of “thin crispy”. basicly just like wonton wrappers except made with plain flour.
traditionally the toppings are as follows: Tian mian Jiang (its a sweet/savoury sauce used often with peking duck), chili paste, red pickled tofu juices, finely chopped spring onions, toasted sesame seeds and bao cui.
they spread the batter on a hot plate (which is on a very low heat), making a very thin pancake. then they break 1 or 2 eggs on top of the pancake when its ~80% cooked. they spread the eggs evenly around the pancake and then flip it so the egg may cook. while the egg cooks they brush on the various sauces and sprinkle on toppings. they then fold the pancake around the piece of bao cui so it forms a parcle with it inside.
there you have it, how to make jian bing from a guy who has worked on of the stalls before.
I had this in Beijing and we eat it everyday when we were there. Lovely to have the recipe! mUst try this.
I can eat this anytime of the day.