Mr Circle's Chinese crêpe - Chicken Jianbing

The recipe is from Mr Circle, a regular food stall at the Wellington Night Market on Cuba Street and is based on a traditional street food recipe that dates back to around 220-280 AD.

You can also find it on page 16 of Cuba Street: a cookbook.

Makes 3-5 crêpes

Ingredients

Stir-fried chicken breast

• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes, or to taste
• 500g boneless, skinless chicken breast

Crêpe batter

• ⅓ cup of each:  wheat flour, cornflour
• and yellow pea flour
• 250ml water
• 3-5 tsp vegetable oil (for cooking)

Crêpe filling

• Wonton wrappers, deep fried (or potato chips)
• 3-5 eggs
• 1 lettuce, shredded
• 1-2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1-2 bunches coriander, finely chopped
• 3-5 tsp black sesame seeds
• 3-5 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 3-5 tsp Asian chilli sauce
• Mayonnaise

Method

Stir-fried chicken breast

In a large bowl combine the garlic, soy sauce, water, honey, 1 tablespoon of the oil, cornflour, black pepper and chilli flakes.

Cut the chicken into strips and place in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, stirring the chicken after an hour.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Transfer the chicken to the hot skillet using a slotted spoon, reserving the marinade.

Stir-fry the chicken for 5 minutes, then add the reserved marinade. Stir for a further 30 seconds or until the sauce thickens. Set aside.

Crêpes

In a medium bowl, sift and combine all three flours. Once mixed, whisk in the water gradually to form a smooth and creamy batter.

In a small bowl, whisk an egg and put aside. Deep fry the wonton wrappers in oil. Drain and leave to cool.

In a crêpe-pan or large non-stick skillet, warm a teaspoon of the vegetable oil over a medium heat.

Pour in about half a cup of the batter and quickly spread around the entire surface of the pan with a bench scraper or large spoon.

Cook the crêpe for 1-2 minutes. Once the edges begin to curl, pour the whisked egg onto the crêpe and spread it evenly.

Sprinkle the spring onions, coriander and 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds over the egg. Cook for another minute, until the egg begins to set.

Carefully flip the crêpe over, then brush with 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce and 1 teaspoon of chilli sauce.

Arrange the deep-fried wonton wrappers (broken into small pieces) or potato chips, lettuce and stir-fried chicken down the centre of the wrap.

Drizzle with mayonnaise.

Fold one side of the crêpe to cover the filling, then gently roll the crêpe over to create a wrap.

Cut in half to serve.