Jian Bing Guo Zi(煎饼果子)

Jianbing Guozi is a popular Chinese breakfast that originated in Tianjin, China. It features a crispy pancake base rolled with a variety of fillings like fried crackers, lettuce, and sausage. The result is a crunchy and delicious treat that's incredibly flavorful.

As a popular street food, Jianbing Guozi is actually quite simple to make at home. Today's recipe will guide you through creating a version that's just as delicious as what you'd find in a restaurant, with plenty of helpful tips and tricks along the way.

1.About Jianbing Guozi

Jianbing Guozi, or "Pancake Rolled with Crisp Fritter," is a famous snack originating from Tianjin, China. It’s a beloved breakfast choice for Tianjin locals and is also popular in Hebei province, where it’s a well-known street food. Often eaten as a morning meal, Jianbing Guozi has been recognized as one of "China’s Most Popular Street Breakfasts."

The recipe for Jianbing Guozi varies depending on the region, but it typically consists of a thin pancake made from batter, an egg, and either youtiao (a type of Chinese fried dough) or a crispy fritter (known as "guozi"). It is usually served with condiments like soybean paste, chopped scallions, fermented bean curd, and optional chili sauce.

2.What Cooking Tools Are Needed

When it comes to making Jianbing Guozi at home, many people worry about needing special cooking tools. In reality, once you understand the process, you'll find that no special equipment is required. All you need is a non-stick frying pan, and you can easily make this dish. This is exactly why I chose to share this recipe—it's convenient and simple to prepare at home.

3.Sauce for Jianbing Guozi

When making Jianbing Guozi, after preparing the pancake, you need to spread a layer of sauce before adding eggs, vegetables, and other toppings. The most common sauces are sweet bean sauce or chili sauce, which you can choose based on your taste. This time, I used chili sauce because I enjoy spicy flavors. You can either use my homemade Chili Garlic Sauce Recipe Easy, buy a store-bought version, or follow my recipe to make your own chili sauce.

4.Which Flour to Use

To make the pancake batter, you only need three simple ingredients: all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, and water. While this combination isn't the traditional classic recipe, I love it for its ease and great taste.

In China, the batter for Jianbing is usually made by mixing white flour, mung bean flour, and water. Sometimes, mung bean flour is substituted with other grains like soybean flour, millet flour, corn flour, or buckwheat flour.

5.How to Make Crispy Crackers

Traditional Jianbing Guozi usually includes a crispy cracker, adding an extra crunch to the dish. You can easily make these at home by deep-frying wonton wrappers until they’re golden brown on both sides, which only takes a few minutes.

Since some of my family members have sensitive teeth, I didn’t add the crispy crackers to this version of Jianbing Guozi. If you prefer the crunch, you can fry some yourself or purchase ready-made ones from a Chinese supermarket.

6.Can It Be Made in Advance?

Jianbing Guozi is perfect for breakfast, so you can prepare it ahead of time. Store the prepared Jianbing in an airtight container and refrigerate it for 3-4 days. When you're ready to eat, simply take it out and heat it in the microwave for 3-5 minutes before enjoying.

7.More Delicious Pancake Recipes

Chinese Crepes Recipe

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

Basic Crepe Recipe

Pancakes Recipe

Homemade Crispy Hash Browns

With all this information, you should now have a good grasp on how to make delicious Jianbing Guozi. Let’s get started and make some together!