Fri 7 Jan 2005
Jian Bing is China’s version of the French crepe (not sure which came first though) . The Jian Bing, unlike the crepe only has a savory version as far as I know. It’s got the same type of thin flour wrap and on the inside it’s usually served with fried eggs, green onions, cilantro, and a savory spicy chilli sauce. Many varieties exist and some them also include a flat piece of crispy fried dough. It’s a great snack to have late at night or during the day.
As in Paris, you can also find vendors selling these delicious snacks all over the streets and in small shops.
Is it hard to make? It takes a little practice but I was able to manage to make one of my own. The street vendor was nice to allow me to make my own. Although I accidently dropped an egg and he charged me a little more.
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I spent some time in beijing early this year, I discovered many of the different street foods in and around the city but my favourite remains jian bing.
actually, it is traditionally a breakfast snack,,,i also tried to make it myself, but it didnt turn out too good at all!!
haha, i just found this website, and i love it now, so ill definetly be back to check out what else you guys have tried.
thanks , martin.
Finally! I have been searching all over trying to find out what this dish is called. Every time I visit China I get up early to seek out this dish. Any idea how to make the chili sauce or pickled vegetable accompaniments that often are part of this?
Thanks
Marc
This is definitely the dish that makes it worth to travel Beijing! I LOVE IT!!!
Right now I am staying in Beijing, so it is no problem to get them.
But how to make them on your own? The pancake itself shouldn’t be the problem. A local friend told me that you can buy the sauces in every chinese supermarket (chilli sauce and preserved beancurd). But this dough stick they finally ad, what is this?
Anyways, funny to see that there are more addicted guys like me
The fried dough is pretty easy to find in Chinatown here in seattle…it’s basically a fried cruller. Some stands in shanghai also make it with crispy pork skin. Any chance you could get a chinese name for the preserved beancurd? I’m assuming any type of chili sauce (sambal) would work, but there are a million different types of preserved beancurd in the chinese markets. Some of the stands I visited also added some type of pickled vegetables, but I have no idea what they are.
If you have any more information and wouldnt mind sharing, my email is marcsch@microsoft.com
Thanks very much.
Marc
lissen can u send me as much info on china as possible. i love it. pleez
My wife and I became Bing addicts over the months that we lived in Shanghai near Fudan University. Our local made his bings with corn flour and we liked it better than normal white flour it seemed elsewhere used. These were just so good on a cold morning. Like everyone else we would love to duplicate them… on the otherhand can we duplicate the smile of the chef, his intense concentration and joy at seeing how much we liked is product or joy he got knowing that the local Americans frequented his stand exclusively?
Yes I too love jian bing, but can someone is there a website or something where someone can show me how to make it?
While teaching English at Taizhou No 1 Middle School (Jiangsu Province)I discovered the delights of jian bing at a street stall near the school gate. Heaven ! I found that Beijing ones were also great. Now back home in Australia I really want a good recipe.
I have a brother who lives in Taiwan and I really (really) enjoyed this, best breakfast food ever, but wasnt too sure what it was called until recently. Funny to see it left as big an impression on so many people.
Keen to try and make some myself
I used to eat this EVERY morning in Nanjing, and I couldn’t for the life of me remember what they called it (not that it would matter, since it was in the local language which I never learned to speak). The Chinese cruller is called a you2 tiao2 in Mandarin, and any Chinese market will carry them. The local vendor in Nanjing used to make his with black glutenous rice on top of the egg.
I also enjoy jian bing – but have had a hard time finding it since they demolished the area below Tiananmen…anyone have suggestions to find jian bing now in Beijing?
I’m happy to see that there are plenty of other people as addicted to these things as I.
My favourite is the store in Tuan Jie Hu market in Beijing. The guy there has a large cast iron plate that spins while the Jian Bing is cooking. It makes the outside a bit more crispy than most. I also love the black sesame seeds some vendors sprinkle inside them.
You’ve got to love Chinese street food.
For any of you who are in beijing at the moment and are near Wudoukou try the jian bing makers on either side of the subway station. I think the guy on the ‘right’ side of the road is better (right if you’re looking at the subway coming from Qinghua or Beida) very spicy and very quick.
Nice. I know exactly where you are referring. Those are good jian bing. When I was at Tsinghua, I found a cart near the nan menr where the guy let me make my own. Flipping the jian bing is not the hard part, as much as spreading the mixture on the hot plate evenly. You have to add just the right amount to get a good thick piece. If only someone would bring that out to NY, i´d be set.
I love Jian Bing. I have been living in Beijing for a year and a half, and I only discovered this master piece of a crepe after being here for about two weeks. After my first one I was hooked. For the next three months I ate a Jian Bing almost every morning (before work, or after drinking). BUt this back fired on me greatly. NOw I have lost my craving the delicate pancakes kissed with bbq type of sauce, sprinkled with green onion and scallion, and topped with a DEEP FRIED piece of, what some one above refered to as a, you-tiao, and placed in a thinner than air plastic bag that burns your hands, yet you can’t stop eating.
I am leaving CHina this July. I will be sure to jump back on the JIan Bing wagon.
good night and god bless….the Jian Bing
I am leaving
My wife and I got hooked on these things during a visit to Yangshuo this summer.
The vendor there put a sliced hot dog in the middle.
This is not traditional Beijing dish, it is a dish that first originated in Tianjin, about 2 hours south of Beijing. While Beijing does have them, Tianjin by far has the best. In Tianjin check the sellers near Hai Guang Si or near Nanjing Road.
Sorry dude, I meant traditional as in everyone commonly has these for breakfast or for a snack. But yeah, you are right they are originally from TianJin. I’ve tried them out in TianJian and are pretty awesome alone with their famous 小笼包
I just finished a jian bing for breakfast. I’ve been in Beijing for 3 weeks and have eaten about 6 of them so far. Really tasty and only 3 kuai.
I spent nine months at No. 2 highschool attached to Beijing Normal University and ate jian bing almost every day at a tiny shop next to the school. I miss it with a passion and I have tried to immitate it but I can never get the batter or sauce quite right. Can someone email me on how to do that please? Thanks
I first saw these outside the Suzhou St gate of the Summer Palace and was very pleased to discover a vendor who sold them through the night just outside the western gate of Renmin U, where I was studying this past summer. The vendor called it jian bing guo zi and made it with batter, one egg, a big cracker-like thing, and lots of cilantro. Only ¥2.50! I LOLed at Bing Man’s comment of 17 Mar 2008 in which he described how efficiently the heat penetrates the thin plastic bags — vivid and very accurate! Good memories!
Thankyou,thankyou,thankyou!!!Justin and yes Bing Man’s comment did the same for me, such wonderful memories. Have been craving these since 08. Went to China in May of 06 & again in 08 for Tai Chi competition, and once tasted, never forgotton, obviously by these responses. I have been half heartedly seeking out these delectable creations ever since returning home (to Oz). I’m having a multi-cultural dress-up night at my place this weekend, and with the info I have just aquired concerning the ingredii,(thanx to all of you) am going to attempt to whip up a batch of those “pancakes” and I have all the ingredients for the filling so ‘IF’ I’m successful, and just let me tell you here I am rarely unsuccessful in the kitchen!!! I will share my results with you all. I am drooling with anticipation right now at the impending taste test. Don’t expect my crepes to be as expansive for one, but hope I can get them as light…
Mmmmmm! I have just left China and miss them already- they were my staple breakfast on a weekend for over a year. Not so nice when the guo zi is stale, but when it’s fresh and crispy and covered with coriander and spring onion…. I’m coming back to China for breakfast!