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Bánh Xèo (Crispy Vietnamese Pancake)

Preparation time: 35 min
Serves 6 people
4.2 Average Rating

Take your taste buds on a trip to Vietnam with Bánh Xèo, a crispy, golden, crêpe-like pancake filled with the freshest ingredients. 

Created by home cook extraordinaire, Camellia Ling Aebischer, this savoury delight is packed with pork mince, wood ear mushrooms, carrot and bean sprouts, and delightfully packaged in an egg wrap. The crispy exterior and tender filling, paired with fresh herbs and a tangy dipping sauce, make it a perfect dish on its own or sliced and packed into rice paper rolls. 

Ingredients

Pancake batter:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup rice flour
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt

Filling:
  • 300 g pork or chicken mince
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • ¼ cup wood ear mushrooms, finely diced
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • Salt and msg, to taste

Nuoc mam:
  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 garlic clove, finely diced
  • ½ red chilli, finely diced

To serve:
  • 30 Small rice paper sheets
  • Lettuce
  • 1 bunch fresh mint
  • 1 bunch coriander
  • 4 eggs, fried

Method

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Pancake batter:
  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. The consistency should be like thin pancake or thick crepe batter. Set aside to rest while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Filling:
  1. Place a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a little neutral oil and the pork mince. Fry for five or so minutes until cooked through and moisture has evaporated. Add the remaining ingredients and stir-fry for a few more minutes until vegetables slightly soften. Add a little water if the mix becomes too dry. Set aside.
  2. Clean the pan out and return it to the stove. Lightly oil the pan then add around half a cup of batter (depending on the size of your pan, you want a pancake that’s like a thick crepe), tilt the pan to create an even layer, then cook for a minute or two until it’s around 90 per cent set. Flip the pancake and cook for another minute. Set aside on a clean plate.
  3. Repeat with the remaining batter.
  4. Once that’s done, in the same pan add a little more oil and fry four eggs sunny-side up.

Nuoc mam:
  1. Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well until the sugar has fully dissolved.
To serve:
  1. Place a crepe down on a large plate, spoon a layer of filling on one half of the circle. Add an egg, and close it to create a semi-circle. Slice the banh xeo into strips. 
  2. Serve the pancakes in the middle of the table with a platter of fresh lettuce, herbs, rice paper and nuoc mam.
  3. Diners can wet a rice paper, place a piece of banh xeo, lettuce and herbs in the middle, and roll up the paper before dipping in nuoc mam. It’s best to give each diner their own bowl of dipping sauce.

 

Reviews

Overall Rating

Average Rating: 4.2

2 reviews