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Banh
xeo
(Bánh xčo)
Bánh xčo are Vietnamese
crepe-type
pancakes made out of rice flour and turmeric
powder and coconut
milk, and are pan-fried and stuffed with slivers of fatty pork, shrimp,
and bean sprouts. Served wrapped with lettuce leaves and stuffed with mint
leaves and other herbs, and dipped in nước
mắm (Vietnamese fish sauce).
In Cambodian
cuisine, there is a similar dish called banh chiao which is derived
from bánh xčo.
(Vietnamese filled crepe)
Yield: about 4-6 small crepes
| INGREDIENTS |
PREP |
AMOUNT |
| Crepe Batter |
|
|
| Rice flour |
|
1 cup |
| Sugar |
|
1/2 tsp |
| Salt |
|
1/2 tsp |
| Turmeric |
|
1/4 tsp |
| Coconut milk |
|
1 cup |
| Water |
|
about 1/2 cup |
| |
|
|
| Filling |
|
|
| Oil |
|
2-3 Tbsp |
| Shallot or scallions |
minced |
2-3 Tbsp |
| Garlic |
minced |
2-3 cloves |
| Shrimp |
peeled, deveined |
3/4 lb |
| Fish sauce |
|
2-3 Tbsp |
| Salt |
|
to taste |
| Mung bean sprouts |
rinsed |
1 lb |
| |
|
|
| Salad |
|
|
| Lettuce, green leaf or Romaine |
cleaned and separated into individual leaves |
1 head |
| Cilantro |
|
1 bunch |
| Mint |
|
1 bunch |
| Nuoc
cham dipping sauce |
|
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METHOD
Basic Steps:
- In a large bowl, mix together the rice flour, sugar, salt and turmeric.
Beat in the coconut milk to make a thick batter, then slowly beat in
enough water to make a thin crepe batter. Set aside to rest while you
prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a skillet or sauté pan and add
shallots or scallions and garlic. Sauté 1-2 minutes without browning. Add
shrimp and sauté another 3-4 minutes till shrimp is cooked through. Add
fish sauce and salt to season, pour shrimp into a bowl and set aside.
- Wipe out the skillet or sauté pan and reheat over medium flame. Add a
small amount of oil. Stir the crepe batter well and pour 1/2 cup batter
into the skillet. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Lay 3 or 4 of the
cooked shrimp over one half of the crepe and then sprinkle a small handful
of sprouts over the shrimp. When the the middle of the crepe looks cooked
through and the edges of the crepe begin to brown, fold the crepe over to
cover the filling and side onto a plate. Hold in a warm oven as you finish
the rest of the crepes.
- To serve the crepes, arrange the lettuce and herbs on a large platter.
Give each diner his own individual crepe with a small bowl of nuoc cham
dipping sauce. Each diner takes a leaf of lettuce, breaks off a piece of
crepe and places it in the leaf along with a few sprigs of the herbs. The
leaf is then rolled up, dipped in the sauce and eaten.
VARIATIONS
- Add 1-2 chopped scallions to the crepe batter.
- Substitute half of the shrimp with pork loin or pork belly cut in thin
strips. Sauté the shallots and garlic first, then add the pork to cook
through, and finally add the shrimp.
- Sauté some sliced mushrooms with the rest of the filling.
- Substitute fried, shredded tofu for the shrimp to make a vegetarian
version. Add a variety of mushrooms to give a meaty flavor. Use soy sauce
instead of fish sauce.
- Beat 4-5 eggs and pour a little over each crepe after you add the batter
to the skillet, but before you add the fillings. Cover the pan for about a
minute to let the egg set, then continue with the filling ingredients.
- Include some peeled, seeded and thinly sliced cucumber or julienne
carrot with the rest of the salad ingredients if you like.
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