Bánh xèo is a light savoury crêpe, eaten with an abundance of salad leaves and herbs. There’s a knack to eating these: gather a palmful of leaves and herbs into your hand, break off some crêpe onto the leaves, then roll it up and dip it into the sauce. You can vary the filling.
You’ll need a 20cm (8in) non-stick frying pan (skillet) with a lid for this recipe.
Ingredients
FISH SAUCE (NƯỚC MẮM)
2 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons fish sauce
80ml (2½fl oz/5 tablespoons) hot water
CRÊPE BATTER
100g (3½oz/1 cup) rice flour (Asian Rose Brand, or any non-glutinous)
1 heaped teaspoon ground turmeric
200ml (7fl oz) coconut milk
200ml (7fl oz) water
1 spring onion (scallion), thinly sliced
½ teaspoon sea salt
a pinch of caster (superfine) sugar
vegetable or coconut oil, for frying
FILLING
2 round shallots, thinly sliced
200g (7oz) shelled, de-veined and halved king prawns
100g (3½oz) beansprouts
50g (2oz) garlic chives or coriander (cilantro) (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
TO GARNISH
lettuce leaves
spring onions (scallions), cut into short lengths
a variety of Asian herbs, such as coriander (cilantro), Thai sweet basil, garden mint, perilla (shiso), cockscomb
Method
- Wash and dry the salad leaves and set them aside.
- To make the fish sauce, mix all the ingredients together well and set aside.
- Next, make the crêpe batter. Mix together the flour, turmeric, coconut milk, water, spring onion, salt and sugar in a bowl, making sure it is smooth and free of lumps. It should resemble the consistency of single cream.
- To make the filling, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan (skillet) over a medium–high heat and fry a few slices of shallot until golden. Season the prawns with salt and pepper and add a couple of pieces to the pan for a minute.
- Using a shallow ladle, pour in a thin layer of the crêpe batter, swivelling the pan to get it covered all around the edges. Add a handful of beansprouts and chives and cover the pan with the lid. Keep the steam in and allow to cook for 2 minutes with the lid on.
- Remove the lid and cook for a further minute, making sure the crêpe is crisp and golden. Fold the crêpe in half, serve or set aside. Repeat this process with the remaining shallots, batter and other ingredients to make the rest of the crêpes.
