SIZZLING CREPES

SIZZLING CREPES

 

 

Makes Eight 8-Inch Crepes

Batter

• 1 cup raw jasmine or regular long-grain rice

• 2 tablespoons firmly packed leftover cooked rice

• 1 tablespoon firmly packed Ground Steamed Mung Bean

• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt

• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1⁄4 cup coconut milk

• 1-3⁄4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water

• 1 scallion, white and green parts, thinly sliced

 

Filling

• 3⁄4 pound ground pork or thinly sliced

  boneless pork shoulder

• 1⁄2 pound small white shrimp in their shells,

  legs and tails trimmed

• 1 can (15 ounces) whole or broken straw

  mushrooms, drained and cut lengthwise if whole

• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (3⁄4 cup)

• 1 cup ground steamed Mung Bean

• 4 cups bean sprouts (about 2⁄3 pound)

• 1⁄2 cup canola or other neutral oil

• 1-1⁄2 cups dipping sauce

 

To make the Ground Steamed Mung Bean:

 

Note: Dried mung beans expand to about three times their original volume during cooking, so use 1⁄3 cup of raw dried beans for every 1 cup you need.

 

1. Place the mung beans in a bowl and add water to cover by 1 inch. Let soak for 2 hours, longer if necessary. The beans absorb only a certain amount of water and can actually stand overnight. Typically, it’s best soak for 2 to 6 hours.

 

2. Drain the beans and put them in the steamer tray, spreading them out evenly. Fill the steamer bottom halfway with water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Place the tray in the steamer, cover, and steam for about 8 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Remove the tray from the steamer bottom and set aside until the beans cool completely.

 

3. Process the cooled beans in an electric mini-chopper or food processor to a fluffy consistency. It should look like fine cornmeal but hold together when a small bit is pinched between the fingers.

Once the beans have been made and are ready to use, it’s time to proceed to the rest of the recipe.

 

To make the batter:

 

1. Put the raw rice in a bowl and add water to cover by 1 inch. Let soak for 3 to 4 hours.

 

2. Drain the rice and transfer to a blender. Add the cooked rice, mung bean, salt, turmeric, coconut milk, and water. Blend for about 3 minutes, or until very smooth and lemony yellow. Pour the batter through a fince-mesh sieve positioned over a bowl and discard the solids. Stir in the scallion and set the batter aside for 1 hour. It will thicken to the consistency of heavy cream. There should be about 3 cups batter.

 

3. To make the filling, roughly divide the pork, shrimp, mushrooms, and onions into eight portions. (Dividing the ingredients now will ensure less frantic frying and avoid overstuffing.) Put these ingredients along with the mung bean, bean sprouts, batter, and oil next to the stove.

 

4. For each crepe, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a portion each of the pork, shrimp, mushrooms, and onion and sautι, breaking up the meat, for about 45 seconds, or until seared and aromatic. Visualize a line down the middle of the skillet and roughly arrange the ingredients on either side of the line. Anything in the middle would make it hard to fold the crepe neatly later.

 

5. Because the rice will have settled at the bottom of the bowl, give the batter a good stir with the ladle. Pour 1⁄3 cup of the batter into the skillet and swirl the skillet to cover the bottom; a bit going up the side form a lovely lacy edge. The batter should dramatically sizzle and bubble. When it settles down, sprinkle on 11⁄2 tablespoons of the mung bean, and then pile 1⁄2 cup of the bean sprouts on one side. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and then cook until the bean sprouts have wilted slightly, about 3 minutes.

 

6. Remove the lid and drizzle in 1 teaspoon of the oil around the rim of the pan. Lower the heat slightly and continue to cook, uncovered, for 3 to 4 minutes to crisp the crepe. The edge will have pulled away from the skillet and turned golden brown. At this point, use a spatula to check underneath for a crispy bottom. From the center to the edge, the crepe should go from being soft to crispy. Lower the heat if you need to cook it longer. When you are satisfied, use a spatula to fold the half without the bean sprouts over the other half. Use the spatula to transfer the crepe to a serving dish. Increase the heat to medium-high and repeat with the remaining batter and filling ingredients to make 8 crepes.