The Jian Bing Approximation

Most days during the week, I have a bowl of cereal or toast for breakfast. But on the weekends, I like to do something a little more extravagant. And after Skyping with the family in Beijing on Friday nights, wherein I inevitably get to see their Saturday morning Chinese breakfast goodies, I inevitably wake up the next morning with a craving-induced mission. In one of my first posts, I told you all about The JianBing Experience–a street food revelation in Shanghai. My version of this jian bing recipe uses a scallion pancake (store bought) rather than the thin crepe-like batter of the traditional jianbing, because, let’s be honest—ain’t nobody got time for that! At least, I don’t. Also, I’ve substituted spicy bean sauce in place of the sweet bean paste + chili oil combination of the original jian bing, and the taste is almost exactly the same. If you’re really feeling crazy, you can go ahead and plop a toasty you tiao (a type of Chinese fried dough you can get in the refrigerator section of your Chinese grocery store) in the middle like the one we had in Shanghai. For the sake of my girlish figure (which lately is admittedly not so girlish), I omitted it. You can keep them both in the freezer and toast them in the oven as you need them. If you can’t find scallion pancakes, you can also make your own pretty easily with this recipe by Sarah. Jian bing is one of those quintessential Chinese street foods that just hasn’t migrated over to American Chinatowns. At least, I’ve never seen anyone making it fresh in any Chinatown I’ve been to. So let’s crack on! You’ll definitely want this in your breakfast repertoire.

Recipe Instructions

First, crack your egg into a bowl and beat with a fork. Set aside. Then chop your scallion and cilantro. This is a simple dish, but things move quickly once the heat is on, so be prepared. Pour the oil into a nonstick pan over medium heat. Place the frozen pancake into the pan and let cook for about 15 seconds then flip over. This makes it so that both sides of the pancake pick up an equal amount of the oil right away, and you don’t have to unnecessarily add more. Cook the pancake until it starts to get nice and golden. Cook it a little longer on one side so it’s fully golden brown. Lift the pancake with a spatula or chopsticks and pour the egg into the pan. Swirl the egg around the pan evenly and then place the pancake back in the pan with the more cooked side hitting the egg. Let it cook for another 30 seconds or so. Flip the pancake so the egg side is facing up. Take your spicy bean sauce and spread it over the egg evenly with a spoon. Then sprinkle the cilantro and scallion evenly over the top. By this time, the bottom of your pancake should be nice and browned. Having an ancient yellow Labrador hogging the space around the oven is totally optional. Finally, turn off the heat and transfer the pancake to a cutting board. (Don’t be like me and roll it in the pan while the oil is still piping hot and achieve the roll only after a painful ooh!-ahck!-hottt! experience…) Using chopsticks, carefully roll the hot pancake like a jelly roll. Cut using a sharp knife into segments. Eat immediately!!! (You don’t actually have to cut these into segments. You can eat it burrito style or fold it in half and then in half again, which is more similar to the way it’s eaten on the streets of Shanghai and Beijing.) What kind of breakfast treats do you guys like to eat on a lazy Sunday? Or for my fellows in college, what’s your preferred method of Sunday morning procrastination? Tell us in the comments below!