Chinese Shout Out: Recipe for Savoury Chinese Crepes (Jian Bing)

In May 2012 I had the great opportunity to go to Shanghai for 6 weeks.  My favourite thing, besides the wonderful friends I made (Yes, I see I have views from Laos and Germany), and the side trips I took, was a street food that I called Chinese crepes.  I was introduced to this delicacy by my fantastic sister, who scoured the streets of Shanghai while I went to work and told me of her finds.  A week after she went home, feeling lonely, I set out in search of the Jian Bing (ya, that's right, I speak Chinese).  Tucked in a back alley, on the way to the Jade Buddha, I found it.  An ancient little Chinese man with assorted condiments set up beside a large (not necessarily sanitary) crepe stone smiled and looked at me questioningly.  I smiled back, pointed and held up 1 finger.  I watched as he spread a thin batter around the stone and broke an egg and spread it into the batter.  Delighted, I saw what appeared to be cilantro, garlic and green onions enter the mix.  He spread a brown sauce (which I later identified as Hoisin sauce) over the crepe and pointed to the chilly sauce.  I nodded and smiled again and held up my fingers to indicate I wanted only a little.  He finished off his creation with a crispy cracker/fritter thing, folding the crepe around it, cutting it in half and handing it to me in a plastic bag.  I gave him the equivalent of 50 cents (the currency, not the rapper) and waited for it to cool.  I did not wait quite long enough, and despite the 2nd degree burns in my mouth, was treated to the happiest feeling my belly had ever experienced.  The combination of sweet and spicy, soft and crunchy was magical.  I was hooked.

It became my regular chore finding ways to get my fix.  I dragged others into my addiction.  My Canadian co-worker and I found a more sanitary location to get them (in an actual storefront!) near our office building.  Sadly, the next day, we moved offices :( I badgered the concierge to tell me of a nearby location to our hotel (after failing to get sufficient directions on a trip adviser forum).  He stared blankly for a while, wondering why this giant blond woman was looking for street food but eventually, reluctantly, pointed me in the proper direction.  The line was long and I heard many mutters of "lowai" and I think the merchant and a police officer had a good laugh at my expense.  I stood and smiled and waited my turn and was sufficiently rewarded for my troubles. 
It got so bad, at one small market I was refused service.  I had already had one that day at a different location and I think that word of the blond lowai was spreading through the city.  I smiled, pointed and was greeted by a scowl and a shaking head.  Thinking he had misunderstood my sign language, I tried again with the same results.  I left, dejected, and found another vendor several blocks away.  Life was good again.
Since I returned, I have thought often about trying to make my own.  It's hard to justify, when in China it costs 50 cents and to make it at home, it costs close to 3$.  But then I saw that Annemarie and Jessica had checked out the blog (Thanks!) and I missed them and my Jian Bings. 
I found a recipe on food.com and attempted to make my own You Tiaos (the crunchy cracker thing) but was unable to get the same crispy texture.  Apparently you can get them at any Asian market and certain grocery stores, so in the future, I will try that.  The recipe was too thick but after several attempts (and a big mess), I yielded a reasonable facsimile.  I served it to DH and before I could start to make mine, it was gone.  Unfortunately, after the initial fails, there was not enough batter to make him another one.  Overall, I would love someone to start setting up these food stands around home, but until that time, I think I can hold of the feelings of withdrawal.  After working out the bugs, this is a very easy recipe with great flavours.  Enjoy!

Savoury Chinese Crepes (Jian Bing)

1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
2 tbs oil
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup water
4 green onions, chopped small
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1-2 tbs chili paste (to taste)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
4 eggs
1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
2 crispy bread crackers (You Tiao)

Directions

1. Mix flour, 1 tbs oil, milk and water until smooth.  Batter should be thin, add more liquid if necessary.
2. Coat large, flat bottomed skillet with oil to prevent sticking.  Heat over medium high heat.
3. Mix together cilantro, green onion, garlic and chili paste.  Set aside.
4. Pour 1/4 crepe mix into hot skillet and spread thin over entire pan with a flat edged spatula.  Cook approximately 30 seconds and flip.
5. Pour 1 scrambled egg (not cooked) over crepe and smooth over entire surface.
6. Spread a 1.5 tbs of cilantro mixture over crepe/egg surface.
7. Flip crepe and cook for 30 seconds.
8. Transfer crepe to plate (egg/cilantro side up) and spread 2 tbs of hoisin sauce.  Place You Tiao in the middle and fold crepe around it.  Cut and fold in half and serve wrapped in parchment paper.
9. Eat with your hands.