Well, I just got finished eating these delicious crepes for breakfast! That might sound weird, because we had them for dinner too, but we always have leftovers for breakfast...with an egg on it! And these crepes are delicious for any time of the day.
I was inspired to make these while I was looking through my Moosewood Cookbook where I found a really great recipe for chickpea (or garbanzo bean) flour crepes. They had an Indian style flair to them (ginger, cumin, cayenne, mustard seeds, cilantro), so I had to try them. However, the cookbook is vegetarian/vegan, and I couldn't find a satisfying recipe for a crepe stuffing. I though chicken would go nicely...maybe something slow braised and spicy. Or maybe, something crunchy like fried chicken would have a better texture? Maybe with a creamy coconut curry sauce? Yes...that sounded good. So, that's exactly what I set out to do.
Menu:
Chickpea crepes
Pan fried chicken strips/bites
Spicy coconut curry sauce
Arugula or cilantro for garnish (or both!)
Fried egg (optional for breakfast!)
Chickpea Crepes:
from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health Cookbook, makes 5-6 crepes
1 cup chickpea flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne or minced fresh chilies
2 tsp grated peeled ginger root (I used 1 tsp dried ground ginger)
vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (I used yellow)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional...though I did add them)
2 TB chopped cilantro and/or scallions
vegetable oil spray
1. Whisk together chickpea flour, water, salt, turmeric, cayenne, and ginger until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a small skillet on medium heat, warm 1 TB oil . Add mustard and cumin seeds, and saute until seeds begin to pop. Remove from heat, stir in the garlic, and let sizzle a moment. Whisk this mixture into the batter. Stir in cilantro/scallions.
3.Warm a lightly oiled or sprayed 8 to 10" skillet on medium heat. Pour 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet and tilt the pan to spread the batter thinly over the bottom and up the sides. Cook for 2 minutes, until firm and golden on the bottom. Turn the crepe over and cook for another minute or two. Continue with the remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan when necessary. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven.
Note: If you make crepes by drizzling a little oil around the edges while cooking, the edges will come out crispy. Otherwise, the whole crepe will be soft. I decided to keep mine soft since I wanted to roll them up and I didn't want them to break.
Pan Fried Chicken
1/2 cup chickpea or wheat flour
3 large chicken breasts
1 TB salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
oil for frying (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
Place flour, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Cut chicken into strips or 1" bites. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat with enough oil to coat the entire bottom. Toss the chicken in the flour mixture, shake off any excess, and add to hot oil. Cook on one side until golden brown and crispy (about 3-5 mins), then turn over and repeat with the other side. The chicken will probably be cooked through at this point, but if it still looks pink, place chicken in an oven safe dish at 400F for about 10 mins. Drain chicken on paper towels and serve warm.
Coconut Curry Sauce
1 large jalapeno
5-6 garlic cloves
1" square piece of ginger (about 1 TB, or you could used dried)
1 TB curry powder (recipe follows)
2 TB olive oil
1 cup onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken broth or water
1 cup tomato juice (or pureed tomato)
1 cup coconut cream (or 1 can whole coconut milk)
salt to taste
In a food processor, add in the jalapeno, garlic, and ginger.
Grind ingredients until smooth (or slightly chunky is ok, too). Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and onions and a pinch of salt. Saute until soft and translucent (about 5-6 minutes).
Add in jalapeno mixture and curry powder. Cook for 1 minutes until fragrant.
Add in chicken broth and tomato juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until slightly reduced. Turn off the heat and add in coconut cream and season to taste.
NOTE: Do not boil coconut cream/milk. It will separate and curdle.
The Experimental Alchemist's Curry Powder: makes about 1/4 cup
(This recipe takes from both Indian and African influences. There are thousands of different curry recipes depending on the cuisine, region, and household. So, don't be afraid to experiment with your own curry mixtures! After all, it's all about how you want your food to taste. Some additions to curry powder can be dried ground ginger, fenugreek, dry mustard, red pepper flakes, peppercorns, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and chili powder.)
1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1/2 tsp cardamom seed
1 tsp fennel seed
pinch smoked paprika
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
Heat a dry skillet on medium high heat. Add in the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds. Toast seeds while shaking pan continuously for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Be careful not to burn seeds.
Add all ingredients into a spice grinder (or mortar and pestle) and grind into a smooth powder. Store in an airtight container.
NOTE: Why use whole seeds and grind them yourself? Why not just buy pre-made curry powder? The simple answer is freshness. Whole spices stay fresher than ground spices for longer. This ensures that you're always getting the best flavor out of your spices. There is nothing wrong with store bought curry powder, and if you're going to be making a lot of curry, then it will get used up before it turns stale. But if you have lots of ground spices in your pantry that have gone unused for a long time, you will notice that they don't have quite the punch they used to.
The second reason is curiosity and education. Making your own curry powder ensures that you have to find all these different ingredients and learn what each one looks and smells like. I think it is important to know what ingredients you're using and how they each impact the food.
But if I had to be honest, I LOVE making curry powder. I do it for fun! Each seed has their own smell and texture, and when you toast them together, each scent blends into something magical. Some smells are foreign to American cuisine, and they always transport me to faraway lands. The act of making something from scratch, with my own hands, while creating my own, special version of a recipe cannot be underestimated!
Putting together the crepes:
1. Place chicken, arugula, and cilantro (if using) in the middle of a crepe.
2. Roll it up like a burrito.
3.Pour curry sauce over it.
4.EAT AND BE HAPPY! :)
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