Bánh xèo
Crisp Turmeric Pancake with Pork, Prawns and Herbs
Bánh xèo is a thin, crisp rice-flour pancake coloured with turmeric and made with coconut cream, cooked over pork and prawns, filled with bean sprouts and herbs, folded and wrapped in lettuce to dip.
The recipe says the pancake is believed to have originated in Central Vietnam, and cooks each over pork belly and prawns, covered, for 5 minutes.
Ingredients
For the batter
- 200 g rice flour
- 2 tbsp cornflour, optional
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- A pinch of salt
- 3 spring onions, chopped
- 400 ml coconut cream
- 60 to 250 ml water or beer, to a thin pouring batter
For the filling
- 6 to 8 slices fatty pork belly, thinly sliced
- 16 cooked prawns, peeled
- 180 g bean sprouts
- About 20 g pea tendrils
- 3 carrots, julienned
- 1 bunch Vietnamese mint
- 1 bunch coriander
- 1 lime
- 1 or 2 green lettuces
- Sunflower oil
For the nước mắm sauce
- 120 ml warm water
- 100 g sugar
- 120 ml fish sauce
- 80 ml lime juice
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- 2 red chillies, chopped
Method
- Make the batter Whisk the rice flour, cornflour, turmeric, salt, spring onions, coconut cream and the water until smooth. Rest for 30 minutes.
- Cook the filling Heat a 20 cm non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 3 prawns and 4 strips of pork belly and cook for 3 minutes until the pork is cooked through, with no pink.
- Cook the pancake Add 1 tbsp of sunflower oil and a ladle of batter and swirl to coat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Fill and fold Top with bean sprouts, carrot, pea tendrils and herbs and fold over to close.
- Repeat Repeat with the remaining batter and filling.
- Make the sauce Mix all the nước mắm ingredients and stir well.
- Serve Serve the pancakes with the sauce, lime and lettuce.
Food safety
Pork must be cooked through, with no pink and juices running clear. Hot oil spits: keep children back. Cool leftovers quickly and reheat until piping hot.
The batter should be thin enough to swirl.