Until yesterday my idea of Chinese food for breakfast was cold leftovers eaten with chopsticks out of a paper box, usually while standing in front of an open refrigerator.
This doesn’t mean I thought that’s what people in China ate for breakfast, but never having been there myself nor spotted any foods labeled as breakfast-appropriate on any Chinese restaurant menu I’ve ever seen, I must admit to not having given it much thought. I had no idea what I was missing.
Turns out jian bing, a savory, street food crêpe, has quite a following of both locals and Westerners, even earning the English nickname “Egg McMao.” Julie, our May cookbook club host, has lived in China and spoke so fondly of this dish I couldn’t wait to try it even though I couldn’t quite imagine it. Jian bing is a crepe topped with an egg, cilantro and scallions, flipped over and spread with two sauces–a chile and a bean–pickled veggies of some sort, then wrapped around a fried wonton.
Salty, spicy, chewy, crispy, and delicious. I woke up this morning wishing I had another one.
(photos from the lovely fiveforefun who also made some killer cinnamon and orange rolls)
