Chinese Green Onion Pancake Beef Rolls 牛肉捲餅

These Chinese Green Onion Pancake Beef Rolls feature hot and crisp scallion pancakes filled with flavourful braised beef shank, cucumbers, and hoisin sauce. They're a delicious appetizer or snack that will keep you coming back for more. 

Anything wrapped in a dough is a favourite in my books.

The first time I had heard of or seen Chinese Green Onion Pancake Beef Rolls was when I watched an episode of Guy Fieri's "Triple D" (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives).

They featured a local Vancouver restaurant, Peaceful Restaurant, on Broadway.

Guy was in the kitchen with the chef and they made these green onion pancakes stuffed with delicious slow-braised beef.

What are Chinese green onion pancake beef rolls?

Commonly found in Taiwan, they consist of Chinese green onion (scallion) pancakes filled with tender slow-cooked beef.

The green onion pancakes are pan-fried in a little oil until crisp and golden brown.

Slow-cooked beef (usually beef shank) is braised for long hours and placed atop the green onion pancakes, along with cucumbers, cilantro and hoisin sauce.

The pancake is then rolled up and sliced up. 

Why this recipe works

I wanted to use a green onion pancake that wouldn't completely shatter when it was rolled up. 

This green onion pancake dough has a higher ratio of water than my Green Onion Pancakes.

The higher water content makes the dough more pliable and rolls up easily. 

Using an Instant Pot to braise the beef shank is an easy way to ensure tender, yet flavourful meat. 

4 main components

These Chinese Green Onion Pancake Beef Rolls are made up of 4 main components:

• slow-braised beef shank: tender and flavourful beef simmered in an aromatic broth
• green onion pancakes: the vessel for delivering the delicious beef
• cucumbers & cilantro: adds a refreshing and cooling crunch to the beef pancakes
• hoisin sauce: adds a sweet flavour to the beef

Braised beef shank ingredients

The beef shank is flavoured with a number of ingredients:

• beef shank: I used about 2 lbs of beef shank, cleaned and trimmed of any excess fat
• aromatics: garlic, ginger, green onions
• spices: 5-spice, coriander star anise, cinnamon, fennel, sichuan peppercorn
• dou ban jiang: also known as broad bean paste -- it is spicy, so if you don't like spicy, feel free to omit it
• beef broth: adds flavour and moisture to the beef; you can use water in place of broth
• soy sauce: adds saltiness and savoury flavour to the meat
• rock sugar: balances out the saltiness with sweetness; you can use granulated sugar if you wish

How to make the braised beef shank (Instant Pot)

Beef shank is a tough cut of meat that requires many hours of cooking to break down its muscles and tissues.

I use an Instant Pot to make easy work of braising the beef shank. (If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can certainly slow-cook the meat in a crock pot or in a heavy-bottomed pot for a few hours.)

Prepare the spice packet and sear the beef shank in a little oil in the Instant Pot. 

Then, add the aromatics (onion, garlic, ginger), broth, and sauces, and cover with the lid.

Set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE and let it cook for 40 minutes. 

Remove the beef shank once it's cooked.

Let it cool down and slice the shank into thin slices.

Green onion pancake ingredients

The green onion pancakes consists of:

• all-purpose flour: the basis for the pancake dough
• sea salt: I prefer using sea salt, or even flaked sea salt
• hot boiled water: hot water denatures the proteins in the flour and creates a tender dough
• sesame oil: adds flavour and aroma to the pancakes
• green onions/scallions: I use both the white and green part, chopped up 

How to make the green onion pancakes

Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Add in the hot boiled water bit by bit, and mix, until a dough forms. Depending on the humidity, you may need to add a little more water or flour.

Once the dough is formed, give it a rest for about 20 minutes. (This helps to relax the gluten in the flour, which makes it easier to roll out).

Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. 

Roll out each ball into a flat disc, about 6" in diameter. 

Add about 1 teaspoon sesame oil and spread it over the surface of the dough. 

Sprinkle a little flaked sea salt over the top and scatter about 1 tablespoon of chopped green onions.

Roll the dough up into a log, and then coil it up. Flatten with your palm and leave it to rest for about 5 minutes.

Repeat with the remaining dough. 

Use a rolling pin to again flatten out the pancake to about 7" or 8" in diameter.

Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add about 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan.

Place the green onion pancake into the frying pan and cover with a lid.

Cook the pancake for about 3-4 minutes, until golden and crisp. Give the pancake a flip and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. 

Remove the green onion pancake and place onto a chopping board.

How to assemble

Spread about 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce onto the green onion pancake.

Layer on a few slices of beef shank.

Add some sliced cucumbers and cilantro.

Roll the pancake up tightly, with the seam side facing down.

Use a sharp serrated knife and slice into 1" slices (or however large you like).

How to serve

Serve the Chinese Green Onion Pancake Beef Rolls hot and freshly made.  

Slice the beef rolls into 1" slices for the perfect appetizer or game day snack.

Serve the green onion pancakes with additional hoisin sauce on the side if you desire.

How to store leftovers

The assembled Chinese pancake beef rolls are best enjoyed on the same day they're made. 

If you have leftovers, store each component separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

You can reheat the green onion pancake in a dry frying pan until warm and pliable, and then assemble with the remaining ingredients.

Substitutions & variations

If you don't like spicy, omit the chilies and dou ban jiang/broad bean paste in the recipe.

For a quick and easy version, try using a deli roast beef in place of the beef shank.

You can also try my 5-Spiced Turkey version.

Alternatively, if you don't want to make green onion pancakes, try making these with flour tortillas instead. 

If you can't find hoisin sauce, try using a delicious BBQ sauce. 

With the leftover beef shank, you can add it to a Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup or Vietnamese Beef Pho.

Other recipes you may like

Be sure to check out these recipes:

Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Instant Pot)

Instant Pot Beef Pho

Chinese Curry Beef Buns

Braided Pork Floss Green Onion Buns

Green Onion Pancakes (Edmonton/Donut-Style)

Crispy on the outside, filled with tender beef shank, slathered with a slightly sweet hoisin sauce, and finished with the cooling crunch of cucumber to cut through the oil and saltiness. Absolute perfection in a bite.

If you make these, please let me know! Tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment below. Have you tried these Chinese Green Onion Pancake Beef Rolls before?