I know I fell off the map a little bit again- and I’m sorry! I was really trying to make an excellent dessert, because I realized it’s been awhile since I posted something sweet. I created a few things that were GOOD but they were not GREAT, and then after a few attempts that left me eating two dozen mediocre cookies, I decided to give up and just go with the savory stuff.
I think these Vietnamese crepes are tasty enough that you won’t care that they aren’t dessert. For me, they represent more than just something that tastes good- they’re a challenge I only recently overcame. I love banh xeo, and they are a standby order for me at Vietnamese restaurants. I also fancy myself a pretty decent creator of Vietnamese food at home- I’ve got all the pantry items and my fresh ingredient sourcing down-pat. But the last time I attempted these savory crepes at home (a different recipe), something went horribly awry. I worked for hours, threw the entire thing in the garbage, ordered dinner and wrote in my notes next to the recipe: “Disaster.”
So it wouldn’t be overly dramatic to say that these banh xeo have been haunting me for awhile now. (Would it? I’ll say it anyway.) So I decided to face my long-time fear of Vietnamese crepe batter, find a different recipe and put myself through it again.
First things first about banh xeo. The original recipe says that a lot of these ingredients are optional, but they really aren’t. It’s all about the fillings, and you’ve got to have them all. If you have leftovers of the filling and can’t bring yourself to make more crepes, eat the fillings on top of some rice vermicelli noodles. This whole experiment fed me for a week.
But back to the crepes. I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that nothing went into the garbage! The other good news is that my dinner tasted delicious. The bad news is that perfecting the art of Vietnamese crepe-making takes a lot of effort and energy. I still haven’t mastered it, which is why, if you look closely, you will notice that the side of the crepe in my picture has several holes in it. And that’s the crepe that was good enough to even make it INTO a picture. You’ve got to have a super well-seasoned pan that is completely non-stick, or you’re going to have a burned-up mess on your hands. You may also want to make double the batter just so you can practice.
You may be asking yourself, is it worth it? I guess that depends on who you are. If you enjoy a challenge, I think yes. If you like instant gratification and are easily frustrated, then maybe not. I think I’m a little of both these things- I had to put my batter back into the fridge at the end of the night and was back in the kitchen trying again at 7 the next morning. And I have to say, I was totally happy to eat these again for breakfast.
This recipe recipes a lot of prep, but don't be intimidated. You can make a lot of it ahead, and you will definitely have leftovers, which taste delicious over a bowl of vermicelli noodles!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup yellow split mung beans, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained
- 1 1/2 cups canned or fresh coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Vegetable oil for Cooking
- 1/2 lb. medium to small peeled and deveined shrimp (about 3/4 lb. shrimp in the shell, peeled and deveined)
- 1/4 lb. boneless pork butt or shoulder, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb. carrots, peeled
- 1/2 lb. daikon radish, peeled
- About 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 cups bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- 1 cup minced scallions
- 2 large heads leaf lettuce or Bibb lettuce, washed, dried and separated into leaves
- Mint leaves and/or Thai basil leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons rice or cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 bird's eye chile, minced
Instructions
- First, make the pickles, sauce and filling, all of which you can do in advance.
- To make the pickles, start by cutting off the tip of each carrot on a long diagonal. Use a mandoline or a knife to slice the carrots into strips, and then cut into matchsticks. Put them in a large strainer and set aside. Use the same method to make daikon strips.
- Mix the two vegetables together in the strainer. Sprinkle on the salt and toss to mix. Place over a bowl or in the sink and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a nonreactive saucepan, combine the water, vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. (Don't cook the vegetables, bathe them.)
- Rinse the vegetables briefly with cold water, then squeeze dry and transfer to a medium bowl. Pour over the vinegar mixture and stir gently with a wooden spoon to ensure all the vegetables are well moistened. Let stand for 1 hour before serving.
- To make the nuoc cham sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar completely. Serve in one or more small condiment bowls. Store in a tightly sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To make the pork and shrimp filling, place the shrimp and pork slices in a bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the fish sauce and sugar, then pour over the shrimp and pork and turn to make sure all the pieces are coated. Set aside, covered, to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add the lemongrass and stir-fry until the garlic starts to change color. Toss in the shrimp and pork and any remaining marinade and stir-fry vigorously until the pork is cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- When you're ready to make the crepe batter, place the mung beans and coconut milk in a blender and process to a puree. Add the water and rice flour and process until smooth, then add the sugar, salt and turmeric and process briefly. Place a fine sieve over a bowl and pour the batter through to strain out any lumps. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
- Before starting to cook, set out the fillings you will e using near your stovetop, as well as the plates on which you plan to serve the crepes and a lid for covering the wok during cooking. Arrange the fresh accompaniments on one or more platters and set out the dipping sauce in individual condiment dishes.
- Stir the batter for several minutes. It will have thickened in the refrigerator, but after stirring, it should be quite liquid, not thick and heavy. If necessary, add a little water to thin it. Place a large wok over high heat. When it is hot, add about 2 tablespoons oil, swirl to coat the wok well and then pour off the oil (make sure no oil runs down the outside of the wok; wipe it off if it does). Place the wok back over high heat. (If using an electric stovetop, turn on another burner to medium heat). Scoop up 1/3 cup of the batter and pour it into the wok. Lift the wok and tip it to swirl the batter around thinly into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Place the wok back on the heat. There will be small bubbles and holes in your crepe. Sprinkle some bean sprouts, coriander and scallions onto one side of the crepe along with a heaping tablespoon of the shrimp-pork mixture. Lower the heat to medium (or move the wok onto the other burner set at medium), cover the wok and let the crepe cook for about 3 minutes, until the edges are brown and the underside is crispy; the top, having steam-cooked, will be soft and pale yellow. Use your spatula to ease the edges of the crepe off the wok, then fold the crepe in half and slide it onto a waiting plate. Serve immediately, or wait until you've cooked two and serve them together.
Notes
From Hot Sour Salty Sweet
