Chunbing (spring pancakes)
Photo: Lennartbj · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Spring pancakes are eaten at Lichun, the start of spring in the solar calendar. The custom is called biting the spring: fresh vegetables and meat wrapped in a pancake, eaten in the hope of a good harvest. Families make a table of side dishes together, such as shredded potato, cucumber, spring onion and stir-fried vegetables. The same thin pancake is what Peking duck is wrapped in, and Beijing neighbourhood shops such as Feng Yuan, in the Xingfu Beili community near Tiantan, specialise in the full spread.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Soy, Sesame

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 1 hrTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 190ml boiling water
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil, for brushing between the pancakes
  • 250g pork loin, cut into thin strips
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 3 tbsp sweet bean sauce (tianmianjiang)
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
  • 4 spring onions, white parts shredded
  • 200g bean sprouts
  • 4 eggs, beaten and scrambled
  • 1 potato, shredded and stir-fried
  • 1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil

Method

  1. Stir the boiling water into the flour, knead for 5 minutes, cover and rest for 20 minutes.
  2. Cut the dough into 20 pieces. Flatten two pieces, brush one side of one with sesame oil, press the other on top and roll the pair to a 16cm round. Make 10 pairs.
  3. Cook each pair in a dry pan over medium heat for about 1 minute a side, until it puffs and shows pale freckles, then wrap in a cloth to keep it soft.
  4. Toss the pork with the egg white and cornflour. Stir-fry in 1 tbsp of the oil over high heat for 2 minutes until it turns opaque, add the Shaoxing wine, then the sweet bean sauce and sugar, and stir for 1 minute more.
  5. Stir-fry the bean sprouts in the remaining oil for 1 minute, then arrange the pork, sprouts, eggs, potato, cucumber and spring onion on plates.
  6. Peel each pancake pair into two sheets and let everyone fill and roll their own.

Tip from the editors. Wrap the cooked pancakes in a damp cloth straight away; they dry and crack within minutes if left uncovered.

Where to eat chunbing (spring pancakes)

Chunbing (spring pancakes) in Beijing

Feng Yuan Chunbing (Xingfu Lane) ★ 3.6

¥ Northern ChineseQianmen Dashilar

Feng Yuan Chunbing near Tiantan in Beijing is a spring pancake shop on the 2025 Dianping Bichibang list, serving chunbing at lunch and dinner on Xingfu Lane.

TryChunbing, spring pancakes with stir-fried fillings

TipService breaks between 14:00 and 17:00, so time a visit for lunch or an early dinner; it sits west of Building 20 in the Xingfu Beili community.

Directions

Lao Lao Jia Chunbing (Balizhuang) ★ 3.4

¥ Northern ChineseChaoyang Park

Lao Lao Jia Chunbing in Balizhuang Beili, Beijing, is a spring pancake shop on the second floor of Building 306, open daily 10:30 to 21:30 on Shifoying Road.

TryChunbing, spring pancakes with stir-fried fillings

TipIt is on the second floor of Building 306A in the south district of Balizhuang Beili, open daily 10:30-21:30 with no midday break.

Directions

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