Bánh Xèo With Prawns and Pork
½ (one-half) cup rice flour pancake mix
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 eggs
½ (one-half) tsp salt
2¼ cups water
1 cup coconut milk
3 stalks spring onion, diced
2 prawns, cooked and peeled (or 4 large shrimp)
2 oz cooked pork, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper as desired for prawns and pork
2 tsp oil per pancake
1 oz bean sprouts
3 leaves of lettuce
2 oz of Vietnamese fresh herb leaves (can be spring onions, basil, cilantro, mint, and/or lemongrass
3 stalks spring onion, diced
½ (one-half) tsp salt
Pickled carrots
¼ (one-fourth) lb of carrots and white radishes (daikon), julienned
¼ (one-fourth) cup white vinegar
¼ (one-fourth) cup water
1/8 (one-eight) cup sugar
Salt to taste
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the rice flour, turmeric powder, eggs, and salt in water. Add coconut milk and chopped spring onion. Stir well and let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
Season the cooked prawns and pork with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Add vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Add 2 prawns and a few pork slices and fry until the prawns and pork change color. Ladle some of the batter (about 1/3 cup) and tilt the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter evenly. Turn heat down to low, cover and fry for 1 minute or until edges are firm. Uncover and add some beansprouts, then cover again and fry until the edge is crispy. Fold the crepe in half so that the two prawns stay on opposite quarters. Fry for another minute and transfer to a plate. Repeat until the batter is finished. (Tip: For the first fry make just the crepes and stack them on each other until the batter is finished, then fry the crepes again and add bean sprouts.)
To make pickled carrots put carrots, radishes, vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a bowl. It can be refrigerated and saved.
To serve pancakes, use scissors to cut the crepe in half. On a large piece of lettuce place some herbs and half a crepe. Roll it up, dip in pickled carrot mix. Enjoy.
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