Yes, you have read that correctly. Crepes. Made with lentils. Now, now, open minds please, these crepes are delicious, nutritious and easy peasy to make, and if you, like me, miss crepes since eschewing wheat flour, this is the recipe for you.
I have done this as a savoury crepe as I am going to pair it with a poached fish in a creamy curry sauce filling (see post next door), but you can also do it plain, just leave out the garlic and chives, then they are good for sweet fillings.
To do these successfully you need a good frying pan or crepe pan that things do not stick to, that is true of any crepe, but especially true of these, and you need to cook it at a heat that it seals on contact with the pan, but does not burn before the top is set enough to turn. I alternated between a four and a five out of nine, so the cooktop temperature set to half.
Have faith. These are delicious. They are loosely based on an Indian dosa recipe, but they are not fermented or mixed with rice. Give them a chance, I think you will love them.
Ingredients
1/2 cup red lentils
1 cup plus two tablespoons water
1 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt
2 teaspoons tapioca starch (or cornflour)
Olive oil for cooking
Soak the red lentils in the water for at least six hours until they have puffed and softened. Add all the other ingredients and then puree into a smooth fluffy batter. I used a NutriBullet, which made it very smooth.
Heat your pan, rub with a little olive oil to help with the non-stickiness, then pour a circle of batter into the middle of the pan and then spread it out gently with the back of a spoon to make it a little bigger and thinner, it will set very quickly, so you will only have time to spread it out a little, which is good as if you make them too thin they will be too fragile to flip.
Cook until the batter is dry on top and the crepe is feeling quite stable when you wriggle your slide underneath it, tip up one corner and have a peep, if it is nicely golden and you can slide your egg slide under without it falling apart, it is ready, flip it over.
Cook the bottom for about the same amount of time and then lift them onto a plate, continue until all of the batter is used up, this made six for me, but it will depend on the size you make them. Pile them up onto a plate and then either use them right away or wait until they are cold, cover the plate in cling film and refrigerate until you want them.
When you are ready to use them, put one on a plate, give it a little visit to the microwave to warm it if it is not still warm, put a line of your filling up the middle -
And then roll the edges over. MMMM! I love crepes! And these ones make me feel extra virtuous as they are so nutritious, whilst having the added bonus of being delicious.
I have made these a couple of days in a row just to make sure I have the quantities right for you, and I must admit, I was sitting outside on the deck this afternoon and wondering about using these crepes as a faux fettucine. If I cut them into ribbons and then warm them in the microwave and then spoon over a sauce, how would that be? Would they disintegrate? Or would they hold up long enough to make it onto the fork and into the mouth? Hmmm. I will try it and let you know.
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