Is there anyone here that doesn’t wish to wave their hand and find themselves in Tokyo? Imagine putting your luggage in your hotel, catching the subway to Harajuku, and enjoying some amazing street fashion and a good crepe.
If it was only that simple…
Even for me, who lives in Japan, it’s not that easy for two main reasons:
- Tokyo is 500km away from me.
- Unfortunately, the crepes in Harajuku are never vegan.
But why did I pick on Harajuku?
Harajuku is the neighborhood most associated with street fashion in Japan, and a must-visit for every fashion lover. There are so many shops there with eccentric costumes, most of them are extremely colorful with super creative ideas behind them. And the people there, some are dressed in these styles, are even more interesting to watch. The clothes, accessories, wigs, and makeup are all out of this world!
Harajuku is a must for anyone who’s coming to Tokyo for the first time.
As for the food – one of the street foods most associated with Harajuku is the crepes, which, like the Harajuku fashion, are exaggerated too (in a good way)! There you can find crepes with cream, ice-cream, matcha cream, fruit, chocolate syrup, as well as many kinds of savory crepes. So although a crepe is indeed French, I associate them most with Harajuku (I hope the French people will forgive me)!
When it comes to the type of crepe, I tend to be very classic in my choice. I will always go for strawberry and cream (and a bit of chocolate on top, because it makes everything better). So I decided to make one at home – are you ready to make one with me?
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serving: 3 crepes
Course: Dessert/breakfast
Does it keep?: The crepes will last around 2-3 days (depending on the season). Highly recommended to eat straight away.
Ingredients
Crepes
- ¾ cup white flour
- ½ tbsp tapioca flour
- ½ tbsp coconut sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp neutral-flavored oil (plus a bit more for frying)
- ½ cup soy milk
- ½ cup water
Cream
- ½ cup coconut cream (at least 18% fat) which has been refrigerated for at least 8 hours. Use only the thick part (usually the upper layer) of the cream – do not add the liquid.
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Toppings
- Strawberries/kiwi/banana/blueberries
- 50g non-dairy chocolate
Instructions
Crepes
- Mix the white flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, and salt together.
- Add the oil, soy milk, and water and stir well. Try to avoid any lumps in the batter.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan with a very thin layer of oil. When the oil is hot, pour a scoop of the batter (half a ladle for a large frying pan) and quickly rotate the frying pan so it will cover all of its surface. Be careful not to add too much of the batter, as we want the crepes to be thin.
- After about a minute, or when the top of the crepe looks ready, slowly separate the edges of the crepe from the pan until you can easily flip it over.
- Fry for another minute and put it on a plate.
- Repeat the process until you run out of batter.
Cream
- With a spoon, put the upper thick part of the coconut cream in a bowl (you can save the liquid to use in shakes or soups).
- Add the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and whisk until a smooth cream is formed.
Serving
- Spread the cream on half of the crepe, then add your fruit of choice.
- Fold it in half, and then in half again. Decorate with melted chocolate and serve.
Now you can enjoy the crepe and imagine you’re in the heart of Harajuku, surrounded by Japanese cosplay and having a good time in Tokyo 😃
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