Turmeric crêpes

Oh, how I miss the Conscious Cafe in Byron Bay. I would eat at least three or four of their turmeric crêpes with a poached egg every week, and when they closed down I literally thought I had lost the will to go on… I then gave myself a metaphorical slap across the face and started making them myself.

Credit: Jordanna Levin

• serves

  2

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, at room temperature

Crêpes

• ½ cup buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cm piece fresh turmeric, finely grated
• pinch sea salt
• coconut oil, for frying

Rainbow salad

• colourful vegetables (I used rocket, grated raw beetroot, grated carrot, roast pumpkin and cucumber dressed with apple cider vinegar, olive oil and tahini)

To serve

• 2 tbsp sauerkraut, optional
• black sesame seeds, to garnish

Soaking time 30 minutes or overnight

Instructions

Soak flour and chia seeds in ½ cup (500 ml) water for at least 30 minutes (overnight, if possible. See Note).

Meanwhile, boil your eggs. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer. You want it to be bubbling gently, but not boiling over. Remember to have your eggs at room temperature, if you put a cold eggs in boiling water it will crack, the whites will spill out everywhere and you’ll have yourself rubbery, unattractive eggs.

I like to use a spoon to lower the eggs carefully into the water. Cook for 5 minutes and 40 seconds (see Note). Remove immediately from boiling water and submerge in cold water. This will not make your eggs cold it will just stop the cooking process and make them cool enough to peel. Peel and set aside.

To the soaked flour mixture, add the beaten egg, turmeric and salt. Slowly add a little more water and whisk to make the batter a crêpe consistency (runnier than a pancake mixture). Heat a crêpe pan or medium skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly oil with coconut oil. Add half the crêpe mixture ensuring it covers the base of the pan. Once it begins to bubble, after 1-2 minutes, flip and cook on the other side until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with rainbow salad of your choice, plus sauerkraut, seeds, and perhaps a dollop of hummus or an extra drizzle of tahini.

Note

• It’s not imperative that you soak the flour, but I find it easier to digest after it’s been soaked. It’s important to let the chia seeds swell, so if you’re short on time, and you’re not going to soak the flour, then leave the seeds out.

• Five minutes and 40 seconds is a pretty safe time for your average egg. If you’re dealing with particularly large eggs you may want to extend the time by 20-30 seconds and reduce the time if you’re using a smaller egg.

Recipe from The Inspired Table by Jordanna Levin, with photographs by Jordanna Levin.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.