.: evil jungle prince :.

Last night we had friends over for our semi-regular 'tapas' get-together. This time the event took place at my house, so I was set to the challenge of coming up with something bite size and yet substantial. After some thought, I decided on making a veggie gujeolpan (구절판 or "Korean Platter of Nine Delicacies"), served with a sour soy sauce to pour on the crepes (see center of dish) once filled with the various condiments.

My veggie version of consisted of flour crepes (center), tofu, salted cucumber strips, marinated shitake mushrooms, parboiled sesame bean sprouts, salted radish strips, parboiled garlicy broccoli, marinated button mushrooms, and salted carrot strips.

Sesame Bean Sprouts: these were made in advance by parboiling bean sprouts for five minutes, draining, and then combining with a little salt, garlic, and sesame oil to taste. These were then refrigerated.

Mushrooms: these were first marinated by combining 2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp finely chopped green onions, 1 tsp minced garlic, 2 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp pan roasted sesame seeds, and some ground pepper to taste. Once closer to the time of serving, these were fried very briefly in a wok.

Broccoli: this was parboiled briefly, drained, and then combined with garlic and salt to taste.

Carrots and Radish: these were julienned into strips and placed into water with a bit of sea salt. After five minutes, they were drained, lightly squeezed of excess liquid, and then placed into their sections.

Crepes. first I made a batter of 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 1/4 cups water. A small amount of crepe batter was then fried, rotating the pan to create a very then crepe. These were fried and removed before changing color, retaining their whiteness. I then placed the crepes on a cutting board and used a drinking glass to 'cut' out small, circular shapes. So that the crepes did not stick together, I placed a few halved pine nut pieces between each one.

Sour Soy Sauce dressing: this was prepared by mixing 3 tsp soy sauce, 4 1/2 white vinegar (rice), and 1 tsp water. This was then drizzled onto the crepes after being filled with the various goodies.

This dish was a big hit and I'll be making it again soon. Next time, however, I will find a better serving implement that allows guests who are not "chopsticks skilled" to more easily serve themselves.