This is one of my favourite dishes to make and eat. It looks impressive, tastes delicious and fresh, yet is really quite easy to make. My sort of dish! I love it also because I get to use the fresh asian herbs from my
garden.
There are some variations on this recipe out there that use different cuts of pork, fillings, or beer instead of
water in the batter but essentially the key to the dish is the thin crispiness of the pancake. Here is my version. Enjoy!
Makes about 10-12 large pancakes
Prep Time 40 mins
Cooking Time 5-8 mins per pancake
garden.
There are some variations on this recipe out there that use different cuts of pork, fillings, or beer instead of
water in the batter but essentially the key to the dish is the thin crispiness of the pancake. Here is my version. Enjoy!
Makes about 10-12 large pancakes
Prep Time 40 mins
Cooking Time 5-8 mins per pancake
Ingredients
Batter
1 packet of Banh Xeo pre-mix flour (which consists of roughly 400g of rice flour and 2 tsp of tumeric)
375ml light coconut milk
600ml water (or use beer instead, but I find it doesn't make it any crispier and gives it a bitter flavour I don't like)
1 cup of shallots or chives depending on your personal preference. I prefer chives as it's more subtle.
Cooking oil
Filling
500g steamed bean sprouts (microwave in a covered bowl for 1 minute and drain excess water)
1 large brown onion, diced or sliced depending on your personal preference
5 fresh shiitake mushrooms, finely diced
600g of pork mince
Fish sauce
White pepper
24 Prawns (medium size, deveined and peeled)
Side Bits
Butter lettuce leaves
Assortment of fresh asian herbs - mint, Vietnamese mint, perilla, Thai basil, coriander
Nuoc mam dipping sauce
Pickled carrots
Roughly crushed roasted peanuts
1 packet of Banh Xeo pre-mix flour (which consists of roughly 400g of rice flour and 2 tsp of tumeric)
375ml light coconut milk
600ml water (or use beer instead, but I find it doesn't make it any crispier and gives it a bitter flavour I don't like)
1 cup of shallots or chives depending on your personal preference. I prefer chives as it's more subtle.
Cooking oil
Filling
500g steamed bean sprouts (microwave in a covered bowl for 1 minute and drain excess water)
1 large brown onion, diced or sliced depending on your personal preference
5 fresh shiitake mushrooms, finely diced
600g of pork mince
Fish sauce
White pepper
24 Prawns (medium size, deveined and peeled)
Side Bits
Butter lettuce leaves
Assortment of fresh asian herbs - mint, Vietnamese mint, perilla, Thai basil, coriander
Nuoc mam dipping sauce
Pickled carrots
Roughly crushed roasted peanuts
How to Make It
Batter
1. Put the Banh Xeo pre-mix flour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix in the sachet of tumeric, coconut milk and water using a whisk until dissolved.
3. Leave it to rest whilst covered in the fridge for at least 15 mins. You can leave it overnight too.
4. Add in the chopped chives and let it rest in the fridge for another 5 mins.
1. Put the Banh Xeo pre-mix flour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix in the sachet of tumeric, coconut milk and water using a whisk until dissolved.
3. Leave it to rest whilst covered in the fridge for at least 15 mins. You can leave it overnight too.
4. Add in the chopped chives and let it rest in the fridge for another 5 mins.
Filling
1. Brown the onions with some cooking oil in a fry pan.
2. Add in the shiitake mushrooms and cook until nicely caramelised.
3. Put this aside in a bowl.
4. Brown the pork mince in the same fry pan with some more oil.
5. Add in about 1tbs fish sauce and pepper to taste.
6. Add in onion and shiitake mushroom filling . Adjust saltiness with more fish sauce as needed.
7. Take off heat, drain any liquid and leave the filling aside.
Bringing them Together
1. In a medium size fry pan, add some oil and bring it up to medium heat.
2. Give the batter mix a stir with the whisk so there aren't any gluggy bits gathered.
3. Using a ladle, pour some batter into the pan (add more as needed) whilst swirling it around quickly to evenly and thinly coat the entire bottom surface of the pan
4. Leave it to cook until it is lighlty brown on the bottom. Use a spatula to lift up the edge to check every now and then.
5. On one half of the pancake, add in about 2 tbs of the filling, 2-3 prawns and some bean sprouts. Put a lid on it (clear is best so you can see what's happening) for a few minutes until the prawns have turned pink and the pancake it nicely browned and crisp. You may need to lower the heat so the pancake doesn't burn if the prawns aren't ready yet or vice versa.
6. Using a spatula, fold over the half of the pancake without the filling.
7. Slide it onto a plate.
8. Garnish with the lettuce and fresh herbs.
9. Serve with nuoc mam dipping sauce that has some pickled carrots and crushed roasted peanuts in it.
10. Start on the next pancake ...
1. Brown the onions with some cooking oil in a fry pan.
2. Add in the shiitake mushrooms and cook until nicely caramelised.
3. Put this aside in a bowl.
4. Brown the pork mince in the same fry pan with some more oil.
5. Add in about 1tbs fish sauce and pepper to taste.
6. Add in onion and shiitake mushroom filling . Adjust saltiness with more fish sauce as needed.
7. Take off heat, drain any liquid and leave the filling aside.
Bringing them Together
1. In a medium size fry pan, add some oil and bring it up to medium heat.
2. Give the batter mix a stir with the whisk so there aren't any gluggy bits gathered.
3. Using a ladle, pour some batter into the pan (add more as needed) whilst swirling it around quickly to evenly and thinly coat the entire bottom surface of the pan
4. Leave it to cook until it is lighlty brown on the bottom. Use a spatula to lift up the edge to check every now and then.
5. On one half of the pancake, add in about 2 tbs of the filling, 2-3 prawns and some bean sprouts. Put a lid on it (clear is best so you can see what's happening) for a few minutes until the prawns have turned pink and the pancake it nicely browned and crisp. You may need to lower the heat so the pancake doesn't burn if the prawns aren't ready yet or vice versa.
6. Using a spatula, fold over the half of the pancake without the filling.
7. Slide it onto a plate.
8. Garnish with the lettuce and fresh herbs.
9. Serve with nuoc mam dipping sauce that has some pickled carrots and crushed roasted peanuts in it.
10. Start on the next pancake ...
How to Enjoy it
This dish is best eaten straight away otherwise it loses its prized crispiness. Any politeness with waiting till everyone has their plate, is a no no. Food comes first! It does mean though, the chef eats last :(
Eat it with a fork, a spoon and/or your fingers to break off a piece. You can then either:
A. Wrap it in some lettuce with the fresh herbs, then dip or spoon in some sauce OR
B. Spoon sauce over the pancake piece, shove it in your mouth whilst picking up some bits of lettuce and
herbs and shoving that in, OR
C. Work out your own style. There's definitely no fine dining formality here.
Then Go back for seconds or thirds. It's normal ... really :)
xo Miss Freckles
Eat it with a fork, a spoon and/or your fingers to break off a piece. You can then either:
A. Wrap it in some lettuce with the fresh herbs, then dip or spoon in some sauce OR
B. Spoon sauce over the pancake piece, shove it in your mouth whilst picking up some bits of lettuce and
herbs and shoving that in, OR
C. Work out your own style. There's definitely no fine dining formality here.
Then Go back for seconds or thirds. It's normal ... really :)
xo Miss Freckles