There are several types of cong you bing (spring onion cakes, also spelled chong you bing).

Some shops make delicate, flaky cakes, almost like puff pastry, while the other extreme is hearty, heavy and oily.

The ones I like best are somewhere in between – slightly crisp on the outside, flaky and tender within, and sturdy but pliable enough to use as a wrap.

The most delicious spring onion cakes I’ve ever had were at Tianjin Cong Zhua Bing, on Yong Kang Street, Taipei, Taiwan. The cooks at the roadside stall used an interesting technique to make them flakier: when the cakes were ready on the griddle, they scrunched each one up using a metal spatula and tongs.

In addition to the trick used by the cooks at Tianjin Cong Zhua Bing, the secret to flaky cong you bing is to initially roll the dough so thin that it’s almost translucent. The sheet of dough should then be loosely rolled around the spring onions, trapping air between the layers.

Use a lightly oiled work surface and rolling pin; the oil prevents the layers from sticking together. Do not use flour on the work surface or your hands.

Many recipes will have you mix the flour with hot and cool water without specifying the temperature of the liquid. Instead, I use semi-hot water at 65°C.

I often make a double batch of cong you bing and freeze them, without the sauce or egg (if using). All you need to do is thaw the cakes, then reheat them on a lightly oiled pan placed over a medium-high flame, before serving.

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