Ga Ba Cai (Crispy Green Bean Crepe Soup)
A traditional Tianjin breakfast: crispy green bean crepes topped with savory gravy, sesame paste, and chili oil.
Ingredients
13 items- Green bean flour 200 g
- Egg 1
- Water 250 ml
- Sesame paste 2 tbsp
- Sesame oil 1 tbsp
- Light soy sauce 2 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Salt 1 tsp
- Sugar 1 tsp
- Potato starch (or cornstarch) 2 tbsp
- Scallions 10 g
- Ginger 5 g
- Cilantro 20 g
Nutrition
Steps （8 steps）
Sift green bean flour, add egg and water, stir until smooth batter. Let rest 10 min. Heat non-stick pan over medium, brush with oil.
Pour a ladle of batter, swirl to spread into thin round sheet. Reduce to low, cook 2 min until edges lift, flip, cook 1 more min.
Stack cooked crepes, let cool. Cut into 2×5 cm willow-leaf strips — these are the guoba.
Mix sesame paste with sesame oil; chop cilantro; mix starch with water to make slurry.
In a pot, add 1 tbsp oil, sauté scallion and ginger over medium until fragrant (about 20 sec).
Add light and dark soy sauce and 500 ml water. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce to low. Add salt and sugar.
Slowly pour in starch slurry while stirring constantly until gravy thickens and turns translucent; remove from heat.
Place guoba strips in a bowl, ladle gravy on top, drizzle sesame paste and chili oil, sprinkle cilantro. Serve immediately.
Tips
Thinner crepes yield a better texture. Gravy should coat the back of a spoon. Best eaten hot to enjoy the crisp-soft contrast.
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