Vietnamese Crepes With Pork Shrimp And Bean Sprouts Recipes

VIETNAMESE CREPES WITH PORK, SHRIMP AND BEAN SPROUTS

Steps:

• Prepare the filling ingredients so they're ready to stir-fry when the crepes are cooked. Slice the pork against the grain into thin strips about 2.5cm (1in) long, put into a bowl, sprinkle with ¾tsp of salt and mix well. Put the shrimp in a bowl, sprinkle with a ½tsp of salt and mix well. Rinse the bean sprouts and leave them in a colander to drain thoroughly. Slice the spring onions into 2cm (⅞in) lengths.
• Make the dipping sauce. Mix the fish sauce with the lime juice, vinegar and sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Mince the garlic and cut the chillies into thin rounds, squeezing out and discarding the seeds as you go. Add the garlic and chillies to the bowl of dipping sauce, then taste it and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Dilute the dipping sauce with about 30ml (2tbsp) of cold water, or more, if it tastes too strong. Ladle into individual dipping bowls.
• Put the lettuce, herbs and pickled vegetables on a platter.
• Mix the rice flour with the plain flour, turmeric and salt. Use a whisk to stir in the coconut milk and the cold water. The batter should be smooth and slightly thicker than French crepe batter; if necessary, stir in a little more cold water.
• Heat a non-stick skillet (about 20cm/8in in diameter) over a medium flame. Very lightly coat the pan with oil, rubbing it in with a paper towel. When the skillet is very hot, stir the batter well, then ladle it into the pan. Immediately swirl the pan so the batter is in a thin, even layer. Cook over a medium flame until the edges of the crepe start coming away from the pan and the surface is matte and firm to the touch. Leave for a few more seconds to lightly brown the bottom of the crepe, then use a rubber spatula to loosen the edges from the pan. Shake the skillet - the crepe should slide around easily. Slide the crepe onto a plate and make more crepes the same way. Each time, lightly oil the pan, and stir the batter well before ladling it into the skillet. Stack the crepes as they are cooked.
• When all the crepes are ready, cook the filling. Heat a wok and, when it's very hot, add about 15ml (1tbsp) of cooking oil. Add the pork, sprinkle it with pepper to taste, then stir-fry until fully cooked. Put the pork into a large, clean bowl. Place the wok back over the flame and add about 15ml (1tbsp) of cooking oil. Add the shrimp then stir-fry until they curl and turn pink. Put the shrimp in the bowl with the pork. Heat the wok again, pour in about 15ml (1tbsp) of cooking oil and, when it's very hot, add the bean sprouts, spring onions and a sprinkling of salt. Stir-fry very quickly, just to heat the bean sprouts slightly, but don't overcook them or they'll wilt. Put the bean sprouts and spring onions in the bowl with the pork and shrimp and thoroughly mix all the ingredients together. Taste the mixture and add a little more salt and pepper, if necessary.
• Each diner should lay a crepe on their plate, add some filling, then fold the crepe in half. Wrap some of the crepe and filling in a lettuce leaf and add whatever herbs and pickled vegetables they want. Dip the lettuce wrap in the sauce before eating.

CRISPY VIETNAMESE CREPES WITH SHRIMP, PORK AND BEAN SPROUTS (BANH XEO)

Steps:

• 1 For the dipping sauce: Combine the fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and water in a medium bowl, stirring until the sugar has dissolved
• 2 Stir in the garlic and chiles (to taste)
• 3 The yield is about 1 cup
• 4 The sauce is ready to use, or it can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week
• 5 For the crepes: Place the dried mung beans in a bowl and cover with water
• 6 Soak for about 30 minutes, until they are softened
• 7 Drain the beans and transfer them to a blender
• 8 Add the coconut milk and puree until smooth
• 9 Transfer the bean puree to a large bowl and whisk in the rice flour, cornstarch, water, scallions and turmeric, and season lightly with salt
• 10 The batter will be thin; let it rest for at least 20 minutes or refrigerate overnight
• 11 Pour about 1 cup of oil into a small dish
• 12 Dip a silicone brush in it and then use it to grease a 10-inch nonstick skillet set over medium heat
• 13 Once the oil is hot, add a couple slices of the pork, a couple of shrimp and a few slivers of onion -- all on one side of the skillet
• 14 Cook for 30 seconds, then turn them over and cook for 15 seconds on the second side
• 15 Stir the crepe batter, then carefully pour about 2/3 cup of it into the pan, tilting it slightly so the batter coats the bottom and a bit of the sides in the pan, but pork, shrimp and onion stay in place
• 16 Scatter 1/4 cup of the bean sprouts on the side with the pork, shrimp and onion
• 17 Increase the heat to medium-high; cover the skillet and cook for about 1 minute, until set
• 18 Uncover and brush some oil around the sides of the crepe (to help crisp the edges)
• 19 Cook for 1 more minute or so, until the bottom of the crepe is golden and crisp
• 20 Use a spatula to gently fold the empty side of the crepe over the filling, then slide the crepe onto a plate
• 21 Repeat with the remaining crepe batter, pork, shrimp, onions, bean sprouts and more oil
• 22 Serve the crepes as soon as they are cooked, with lettuce leaves, mint and the dipping sauce

BANH XEO (VIETNAMESE CREPES)

Steps:

• Mix rice flour, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and turmeric together in a large bowl. Beat in coconut milk to make a thick batter. Slowly beat in water until batter is the consistency of a thin crepe batter.
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant but not browning, 1 to 2 minutes. Add shrimp; saute until cooked through and opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with fish sauce and salt. Transfer filling to a bowl.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Wipe out skillet and reheat over medium heat. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon oil. Stir crepe batter and pour 1/2 cup into the hot skillet, swirling to coat the bottom. Lay 3 or 4 of the cooked shrimp on the bottom half of the crepe. Top with a small handful of bean sprouts. Cook until batter looks set and edges start to brown, about 1 minute. Fold crepe over and slide onto an oven-safe plate.
• Place crepe in the preheated oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter and filling.
• Serve lettuce leaves alongside filled crepes. Break off pieces of crepe and roll up in lettuce leaves to eat.

VIETNAMESE SHRIMP AND PORK CREPES (BANH XEO)

Steps:

• Make crêpe batter:
• Cover dried mung beans with water by 2 inches in a bowl and soak at room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Drain in a sieve, then rinse under cold water until water runs clear.
• Purée drained mung beans, coconut milk, and water (6 tablespoons) in a blender (mixture may appear curdled). Add rice flour, sugar, turmeric, and salt and purée until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
• Make dipping sauce:
• Stir together sauce ingredients until sugar is dissolved.
• Make filling:
• Cut pork across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then cut slices into 2 1/2- by 1/2-inch strips. Stir together pork, shrimp, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
• Mince enough of lower portion of lemongrass stalk to measure 2 teaspoons.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then stir-fry onion, mushrooms, lemongrass, garlic, and pepper until mushrooms are golden, about 3 minutes. Make a well in center of mixture and add shrimp and pork and stir-fry until shrimp turns pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl. (Shrimp and pork will not be cooked through.)
• Cook crépes:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in cleaned skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir batter, then pour 1/2 cup into skillet, immediately tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. Sprinkle one fourth of fresh bean sprouts over half of crpe, then stir filling and spoon one fourth of filling evenly on top of bean sprouts. Sprinkle one fourth of scallions on top. Reduce heat to moderately low and cook, covered, until edge of crpe begins to pull away from side of skillet (check occasionally), about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook crépe, uncovered, until underside and edge are crisp and golden, 2 to 3 minutes more (lift with a spatula to check underside; shrimp and pork will be fully cooked). Fold crépe over and gently slide onto a large rack on a large baking pan and keep warm in oven. Make 3 more crépes with remaining oil, batter, bean sprouts, filling, and scallions in same manner.
• Have each guest tear crépes in half and wrap each half in lettuce, then tuck in herbs. Serve with lime wedges and dipping sauce.