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Best Laobing in Chicago
“Doughy, chewy flatbread the size of a pizza, layered and pan-fried from just flour, water, and salt.”
What the real thing tastes like
Laobing (also: Luobing; Chinese: 烙餠; pinyin: làobǐng, lùobǐng) is a type of unleavened flatbread popular in parts of northern China, including Beijing. It is sometimes referred to as a Chinese pancake. Laobing can be the size of a large pizza, about one centimeter thick, and is doughy and chewy in texture. The bing is made by pan frying a rolled and layered unleavened dough consisting of salt, flour, and water. Most laobing are plain, although some have scallions or brown sugar inside the pastry. Laobing is usually cut into slices and served as a staple food, or can be stir-fried with meat and vegetables to make chaobing (stir-fried Chinese pancakes).
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Laobing is a northern Chinese flatbread that arrives at the table the size of a pizza—burnished from the pan, roughly a centimeter thick, and impossibly chewy. Made from nothing but flour, water, and salt, the dough is rolled, layered, and pan-fried until it becomes doughy and yielding. Some versions hide scallions or brown sugar inside; most stay plain and let the bread speak. You'll eat it sliced as a staple, or chopped up and wok-tossed with meat and vegetables into something called chaobing.
Order it here when it has
- substantial and filling
- versatile—plain or stuffed
- simple ingredients
- can be wok-fried into chaobing
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