8 Asian pancakes you need to try

In Taiwan, cong you bing, or scallion pancakes, are a major player in the street snack world. Flaky, light, and flavourful, these pancakes are best eaten when fresh off the griddle. Unlike its Western counterparts, Taiwanese scallion pancakes are made with dough instead of batter. You can find different takes on it across Taiwan, from Kaohsiung to Taipei.

See also: A food lover’s guide to Taipei

No night market is complete without a stall selling appam balik and its variations. It can be made with a wide variety of fillings, with the most common being ground nuts and corn, and the most modern being Nutella.

Almost every Malaysian’s childhood has been touched by this nostalgic and sinfully good street snack so it’s only fair that it gets a little (or a lot of) love. 

Malaysians rave about our appam balik and Sri Lankans have the same pride for their appam. The Sri Lankan appam is available sweet or savoury, with the former traditionally made with coconut and cardamom powder. 

See also: 20 of the world’s most famous food markets

Jeon is a staple in Korean cuisine, as seen in many K-dramas and Korean restaurants around the world. Made of wheat flour, water, soybean paste, and a bit of sugar, these jeons are some of the most adaptable pancakes out there with green onions, kimchi, seafood, minced meat, and perilla leaves being some of the most common types of jeon. 

Hailing from Japan, the okonomiyaki is another pancake that gets remixed depending on which region of Japan you’re in. The Kansai style of okonomiyaki is the base on which others are built on, made with cabbage, flour and egg and topped with sliced pork, the savoury-and-sweet okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and aonori (powdered dried seaweed).

Wo bing, or woh peng in Cantonese, is a classic Chinese dessert dish that can be made with lotus paste or red bean paste. We've also seen variations made with pandan. It is usually served at family dinners, particularly during a dim sum meal. When fresh, these flaky and buttery pancakes are extremely difficult to resist. 

See also: Tatler Dining Awards 2022: The Top 20 Restaurants in Malaysia

Recently crowned the second best street food in the world by TasteAtlas, the roti canai is a formidable presence in the Malaysian food work. A mamak meal is simply incomplete without an order of the fluffy and light roti canai. You can have it served with curry, dahl, kaya, or even sugar, alongside a cup of teh tarik or local kopi.

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