Photo: Banh Xeo Vietnamese "Crepe" Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried yellow mung beans
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 pound boneless pork loin, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and halved lengthwise
- 1 1/2 tablespoons nuoc nam (Vietnamese fish sauce)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 1 pack enoki mushrooms
- Vegetable oil, as needed
- Red leaf lettuce, mint leaves, cilantro leaves, and basil leaves, for serving
- Pickled Cucumber, Carrot and Daikon, for serving, recipe follows
- Spicy Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, for serving, recipe follows
Directions
In a small bowl, soak the mung beans in warm water until they are softened, about 30 minutes. Drain the beans and transfer them to a blender. Add the coconut milk and puree until very smooth. Add the rice flour, sugar and turmeric; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate the crepe batter for 1 hour.
In a bowl, combine the pork and shrimp with the fish sauce, garlic, sugar and black pepper. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
In another bowl combine the scallions, bean sprouts and mushrooms. Divide the mixture into 6 small, separate mounds and place them on a clean work surface.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a skillet. When hot, add the pork and shrimp mixture and saute for 2 minutes. Remove to a platter.
In a wok or a 10-inch nonstick omelet pan, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. When the oil is very hot, stir the rice batter well and pour 1/2 cup of the batter into the hot pan; tilt and swirl the pan to coat with a thin layer of batter on bottom and partially up the sides. Scatter the crepe with 1 of the vegetable mounds, 4 slices of the pork, and 4 pieces of shrimp. Reduce the heat and cook until the bottom of the crepe is golden and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spatula, loosen the crepe from the bottom of the pan and gently fold in half. Slide the crepe onto an ovenproof plate or platter and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.
To serve, place a crepe on a plate and serve with bowls of the lettuce leaves, mint leaves, cilantro leaves, basil leaves, Pickled Cucumber, Carrot and Daikon, and the Spicy Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, so that guests can garnish their crepes, to taste.
Pickled Vegetables
- 1 1/4 cups rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup thinly sliced daikon
In a small nonreactive saucepan combine the vinegar, sugar, crushed red pepper, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a nonreactive mixing bowl and add the carrots, cucumbers and daikon. Stir to combine, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Yield: about 3 cups pickled vegetables
Spicy Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham):
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili paste or 1 chopped red chile
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced scallion
Combine the ingredients in nonreactive bowl and stir to blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Yield: 1 cup
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By llasser
chicago, IL
on April 14, 2013
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This recipe is excellent. The use of the rehyrdrated mung beans gives the crepe a nutty flavor and enough substance to be light, crisp but not break when folding. And a nice jolt of protein instead of the typical all- rice flour starchfest of other recipes.These will taste like an omelette when done. I have had these crepes many times in authentic vietnamese restaurants and this is dead on. Be sure to use the right beans. when hulled, they are small, oblong and yellow. They are available at asian or indian grocers.
The quick pickled veggies are a must, and a perfect compliment to this dish. Very refreshing and satisfying spring or summer meal. The batter keeps for about a week in the fridge.
Also works with a little ground pork and shrimp, or just the shrimp, esp the tiny north sea shrimps.
By sadfacereaver
on May 29, 2011
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Ive had Banh Xeo before and i love it from the first time ive had it! but just looking at the picture of this makes it look like an americanized copycat of real banh xeo. im not even gonna bother with this recipe.
By toi3uon
on January 26, 2011
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there was no coconut milk in the batter at all, the mung beans was not added to the batter, it should be steam and added after the batter has poured on the skillet
when you place the shrimp and pork on the skillet, let it cook a bit then pour the batter over it, then add slices chayote and mung bean sprouts, then fold the crepe and put a lid over it to get the crust on the banh xeo
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