bánh xèo (sizzling Vietnamese crepes)
These crispy, gluten-free Vietnamese crepes are perfect for a light weekend lunch.
"Bánh xèo" literally means "sizzling pancake" because of the sound it makes once the batter touches a hot skillet. These savory crepes are often filled with a meat protein and served with fresh lettuce and herbs. The proteins I use in this recipe are shrimp and lean ground turkey. You may easily replace those meats with tofu or a vegetarian option of your choice.
How do you eat these things? Normally, you would serve the crepe on a plate, cut it into slices, and roll the slices up in lettuce and herbs before dipping into a sweet and spicy fish sauce. I eat them a little differently by putting the crepe into a bowl, cutting it up with the lettuce and herbs, and tossing everything together with the dipping sauce - kind of like a salad.
Traditionally in Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia, this dish is eaten as a snack and served with some light beer. Although you don't have to follow suit, this recipe calls for the use of beer in a different way. Getting the crepes to become thin and crispy enough is a challenge, which is why I use beer instead of water to prepare the batter. That's right, beer helps to make the crepe crispier, and it adds another layer to the taste. Once the batter has been prepared, let it refrigerate overnight so the batter can set.
Bánh Xèo
Ingredients
1/2 cup hulled, split mung beans
1 can unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk
2 cups white rice flour
1 1/2 cup tapioca starch
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 scallions, chopped
1 can gluten-free beer
1 cup water
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb shrimp (shelled, deveined, halved), sauteed with 1 diced, medium onion
1 lb lean ground turkey, cooked
3 cups bean sprouts
Red leaf lettuce
Mint leaves
Thai basil leaves
Shiso leaves
Directions
Place mung beans in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Allow to soak for 30 minutes.
Drain beans and transfer to blender. Pour in coconut milk and puree until mixture is smooth
Transfer puree into large mixing bowl. Whisk in rice flour, tapioca starch, turmeric powder, scallions, beer, and water. Refrigerate batter overnight.
Remove batter from refrigerator, let return to room temperature, and stir. Add some water (1/4 cup at a time) if the batter seems too thick.
Heat 10-inch non-stick skillet on medium-high heat and lightly coat with oil. Ladle in 2/3 cup of the batter into the pan; tilt and swirl the pan to coat the bottom with a very thin layer of batter, letting it come up the side of the pan.
Once the top of the crepe looks a bit dry, scatter some ground turkey, a few pieces of shrimp, and some bean sprouts onto one half of the crepe.
Using a spatula, carefully loosen the blank half of the crepe from the pan and fold it over the other half. Cover skillet for 2 minutes, or until crepe is golden and crisp.
Slide crepe onto a plate and serve with lettuce, herbs, additional bean sprouts, and dipping sauce. Best served immediately.
Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fish sauce (aka. nuoc nam)
1 1/2 cup water
Directions
Using a mortar and pestle, pound garlic and chiles together until pasty. Add sugar and lime juice. Mix until sugar dissolves. Add a few drops of fish sauce to moisten if necessary.
Transfer paste to a medium mixing bowl and stir together with fish sauce and water. Refrigerate overnight. Stir before serving.
