You are probably sick of  each blog post starting with the words “it is SO HOT on Jeju” but I can’t help it! It is true and I want everyone to know!  It is sickening. Not only is it hot but also humid. I am pretty sure that the humidity on any given day in July/August on Jeju is 99%. I have to change my clothes 3 times a day because they are usually literally soaked in a few hours. Air conditioning is a divine salvation. I refuse to use AC at whim in my own house. However, I don’t mind coming to work, even though there is no class, every day for a few hours to escape the heat and enjoy a nice air-conditioned office.

Another reason why I don’t mind coming to the office this summer is because I am taking an online course. Introduction to Finance. That’s right, I am moving into the real world of money and trading, stock and bonds, but mostly I hope to become more comfortable with money and investments so I can plan for the future. My last student loan payment will come in September so, I need to figure out what I will do with all the money I will not be putting towards any type of loan. I cannot wait to taste the freedom of not having to think about huge monthly payments.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the following recipe.

This recipe is my attempt to make food without whole wheat flour. You see, I ran out and I do not want to buy more. Instead, I want to experiment with different, more nutritious flours.

Buckwheat flour has been on my mind for a while. Not only is it delicious but it is also gluten-free and is not a grain. It is also super rich in fiber. It is used widely in Korea to make hair-thin crepes filled with mung bean sprouts and green onions. I was inspired by this Korean dish to make my version of the crepe, filled with protein and deliciousness.

Note: This recipe is not completely gluten-free because I used kamut flour as well. Substitute with chickpea flour.

Buckwheat crepes

Ingredients:

1 c buckwheat flour

1 c kamut flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp chia seeds and 1/4 cup of water to make chia “egg”

1 1/2 c of soy milk

1 tbsp oil

Directions:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl mix all the wet ingredients. Add the chia egg.

3. Mix the dry and the wet ingredients and stir until you have a uniform mixture. You may need to add more milk to thin out the batter. The batter should be medium runny.

4. Splash a drop of oil on the pan and use a paper towel to distribute it around the pan.

5. Measure out about 1/2 cup of batter and drop it in the middle of the frying pan. Swirl the pan to distribute the batter or use a ladle to swirl the batter. Cook until the crepe changes color and dries out then flip and cook for 20 more seconds.

Mushroom/tofu mixture

Ingredients:

2 c of mushrooms, chopped

1/2 block of medium tofu

1/4 onion

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp soya sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Press the tofu block with some sort of weight for 20 minutes to get rid of excess water. Crush your tofu into a bowl and splash some soya sauce on top with some cumin. this will allow the tofu to soak up some flavor.

1. Fry the onion until golden brown. Add the mushroom and cook until they are brown as well.

2. Add the bell pepper and cooked until it is softened. Add the tofu.

3. Add the turmeric and soya sauce and stir for a few minutes.

4. To serve, like the middle of a pancake with some lettuce and put 2 tbsp of mushroom mixture in a line in the middle. Wrap the crepe and serve. One serving would consist of two small crepes.

The taste of the crepe was very earthy. Buckwheat definitely has a distinct flavor and I liked it. Of course, I grew up in a Russian family and everybody knows that Russians each a ton on buckwheat. Chris wasn’t a fan of the taste, or maybe it was the tofu…You can fill the crepe with anything you want. Make a buckwheat crepe burrito filled with beans and avocado. To make the crepe into a dessert simply add some sweetener and fill with fruit.

Enjoy your crepes and keep cool

Maria