Lumpiang Sariwa with Jicama

From the garden

• 1½ lb jicama root, peeled thickly and cut into fine matchsticks
• 2 medium carrots, cut into fine matchsticks
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced · three for the filling, one for the sauce
• 8 soft lettuce leaves, washed and dried

From the pantry

• 8 oz firm tofu, patted dry and cut into small dice
• 1 cup all-purpose flour · for the wrappers
• 2 eggs · for the wrappers
• 3 tbsp neutral oil · divided between the crepe pan and the filling
• 4 tbsp soy sauce · divided between the filling and the sauce
• 3 tbsp smooth peanut butter · for the sauce
• 3 tbsp brown sugar · for the sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, slaked in 2 tablespoons cold water
• 8 oz small shrimp, peeled and roughly chopped (optional) · the usual addition in a Filipino kitchen, along with pork
• salt · to taste

1. Peel the root generously with a knife, taking off the brown skin and the tough fibrous layer just beneath it until nothing but clean white flesh is left, then cut it into fine matchsticks. Only the peeled root is food here: the vines, leaves, flowers, pods and seeds of a jicama plant are poisonous and never go in the pan at any stage.
2. Whisk the flour, eggs, a pinch of salt and 1 1/4 cups water into a batter the consistency of thin cream, then rest it 10 minutes while the filling comes together.
3. Film an 8-inch nonstick pan with a little of the oil over medium heat, pour in a scant 1/4 cup of batter, swirl it thin, and cook about 1 minute, until the surface looks dry and the edge lifts cleanly. Stack the wrappers under a clean towel as they come off; the batter makes about 8.
4. Heat the rest of the oil in a wide pan over medium-high and soften the onion with three of the garlic cloves for 3 minutes. Add the tofu, and the shrimp if using, and cook 3 minutes more, then add the jicama, the carrot and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce and stir-fry 6 to 8 minutes, until the carrot gives and the jicama is hot through but still audibly crisp.
5. Tip the filling into a sieve set over a bowl and leave it to drain, since wet filling tears the wrappers. Whisk 1 cup water with the brown sugar, the remaining soy sauce, the peanut butter and the last garlic clove in a small pan, bring to a simmer, stir in the cornstarch slurry, and cook 2 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
6. Lay a wrapper flat, set a lettuce leaf on it with the frilled edge standing past the near rim, spoon a generous line of drained filling across, and roll it into an open cylinder with one end tucked under. Spoon the warm sauce over the top and serve straight away, while the jicama is still crunching.