Homemade Banh Xeo (2009-06-10)
If you're Vietnamese reading this post, you'll probably laugh your head off at the so-called "recipe" I give for the Banh Xeo I made the other day. I have absolutely no idea if I was doing it correctly, heck, I've never even eaten one in a restaurant!
My version is probably miles away from the real thing, but I tell
ya, it was good. Very
very good. The crepe was not just crispy, it was crunchy, yet
chewy and soft on the inside. The pungent flavor of the
coriander, the crunchy freshness of the vegetables and the spicy
tanginess of the dipping sauce just made the whole thing come to
life! The filling I used was all leftovers, in fact, it was the
little bit of rice flour leftover I had that inspired me to make this
dish. I don't know the ratio of flour to water, I just mixed them
together till I got a pourable batter and miraculously it worked.
I guess it's
a very forgiving batter.
Okay, now that I have gotten the disclaimer over and done with,
let's get to the "recipe" (makes 2-3 crepes).
Batter: Rice flour filled to the 150ml mark of a 500ml Pyrex jug,
water fill to the 400ml mark, pinch of salt, pinch of turmeric, 1/2 tsp
oil, 1-2 Tbsp chopped scallion. Stir together and let rest for 30
minutes.
Filling: Roast pork, cooked shrimps, bean sprouts etc
Accompaniment: Salad leaves, sprouts, coriander, Vietnamese basil,
any herbs you like.
Dipping sauce (nouc cham): Fish sauce, sugar, lemon or lime juice,
water, chopped chillies. Taste to adjust.
- Heat pan, pour good amount of oil in it till hot. (don't be stingy on the oil, shallow frying gives the crepe its wonderful crunchiness, leave the dieting for another day)
- Pour just enough batter to thinly coat the pan. The batter may seem watery and horrible at first but as it cooks, it'll harden.
- When the edge starts to crisp up, add filling to half the crepe.
- When the whole crepe hardens, fold the side over to form a half moon shape.
- Continue to fry till it's completely crunchy, flip over and fry a bit more to crisp up the other side too.
- Break off a bit of the very crispy crepe and eat with veggies and
herbs and the nouc cham. Enjoy!
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