Crepes with sweet red bean paste

Azuki beans are one of those things I've never really attempted to cook with before, this recipe came about after an attempt by my housemate and I to make mochi, however after we discovered that we had no rice that idea was pretty much moot. Not wanting to waste our red beans we came up with this instead!

Sweet bean paste:
250g azuki beans soaked over night
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups water

Place azuki beans, and sugar in a small saucepan, add water and bring to the boil. Simmer with a lid on for 40 minutes or until beans are soft and mashable. Check regularly and top up with more water if it gets too dry. Once soft, mash with a potato masher until beans resemble a smooth paste. If too dry add water in small amounts

Crepes:

1 cup plain flour

pinch of salt

2/3 cup soy milk
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp melted margarine
2 tbsp golden syrup

Mix all ingredients together to form a thin batter, if your batter is a little thick and water in small increments. Use a large non-stick crepe pan, that is well greased. Over a high heat, pour some crepe mixture in and roll your pan to cover the bottom evenly with batter. Remember you want them to be thin! Once bubbles come to the surface of your crepe, flip it and cook for a further 30 seconds - 1 minute on the opposite side.

To bring together;

Place 1 - 2 tbsp of bean paste in the centre of your crepe and wrap around the 4 sides. To serve add a dollop of ice cream and drizzle with golden syrup.

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Sweet and Sour "Pork"

I'm not really a fan of faux meats, but I made this for the novelty, and it actually turns out really tasty. I used 'vege rib' I buy it in sunnybank at Yuens Market where they have a gigantic aisle of the stuff. If you can't get vege rib just use firm tofu, it's equally as good.

Firstly take your vege rib and tear it into useable chunks; then set a pot of vegetable oil to heat for deep frying.


Batter:
9 tablespoons of cornflour
9 tablespoons of plain flour
1 tsp of baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup of water

Mix all ingredients together to make a smooth batter, you can add more or less water depending on how thick you want your batter. Add chunks of vege rib and coat evenly; fry in batches in hot oil until golden brown, and then allow to drain on paper towel.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

Half a cup of tomato sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp of sugar
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 tsp of freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup water
2 tsp corn flour
2 shallots cut into thin strip

Mix tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar and water in a bowl. Fry off your garlic and ginger for 1 -2 minutes in a small saucepan over a moderate heat, add the tomato sauce mixture and bring to the boil stirring occasionally. Add shallots and allow to simmer for another couple of minutes.
Mix the cornflour with 1/4 cup of water, and stir through sauce; allow to thicken for another minute or two (if sauce becomes too thick just add more water).

To Serve:
I serve this with some quickly stir fried veggies and steamed rice.  The best way is to pour your sauce over the deep fried vege rib right before serving so that they're still lovely and crispy when you eat them.

Enjoy Xx