Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes Recipes

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.

SIZZLING SAIGON CREPES

Steps:

• Make the batter: place the rice flour, coconut milk, water, turmeric, sugar, salt, curry powder and scallions in a bowl and stir well to blend. Set aside.
• Make the filling: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1/4 each of the onion, the pork and the shrimp and stir until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Whisk the batter well, and ladle about 2/3 cup into the pan. Swirl so the batter completely covers the surface. Neatly pile about 1 cup bean sprouts and 1/2 cup mushrooms on one side of the crepe, closer to the center than to the edge. Reduce the heat slightly, cover the pan and cook until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Uncover and cook until the crepe is crisp and the pork and shrimp are done, another 2 to 3 minutes. Slip a spatula under the crepe to check on the bottom of the crepe. If it?s not brown, cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Lift the side of the crepe without the bean sprouts and mushrooms and fold it over the covered side of the crepe. Using a spatula, gently slide the crepe onto a large plate. Wipe the pan clean and make the remaining crepes in the same way. Be sure to oil the pan before beginning the next crepe.
• To serve, place the crepes, Vietnamese Dipping Sauce and some lettuces, mustard leaves, and herbs on the table. To eat, tear a piece of the banh xeo and wrap the lettuce or mustard leaves and herbs. Roll into a packet, then dip into the sauce and eat.
• Cut the chiles into thin rings. Remove one-third of the chiles and set aside for garnish. Place the remaining chiles, garlic, and sugar into a mortar and pound into a coarse, wet paste. Transfer to a small bowl and add the water, lime juice, and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve. Add the reserved chiles and carrots. Set aside for 10 minutes before serving.

BáNH XèO (VIETNAMESE SIZZLING PANCAKES / CREPêS)

Steps:

• Combine all batter ingredients except scallions in a large bowl for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Add scallions only right before making the crêpes.
• Steam or soak mung beans in water until soft.
• Boil pork until cooked through and soft, then slice thinly.
• Wash bean sprouts and veggies.
• On medium-high heat add 1-2 teaspoons of oil and some onions
• Immediately add a few pieces of pork and shrimp. Sauté, lightly mixing until very lightly browned and fragrant.
• Pour in some batter and quickly tilt & rotate the pan so the batter is evenly spread. Add more batter if it wasn't enough to cover the pan. There should only be a thin layer of batter that almost flakes off at the pan edges where it's thinner. If your batter doesn't do that and is too thick, add a few tbsp water to the batter and mix to thin it out.
• Lower the heat to medium. Add some mung beans, bean sprouts, and cover with a lid for about 3 minutes, or until bean sprouts are slightly cooked. The batter should also be slightly cooked and transparent around the edges. This step cooks the top side of the ingredients and batter while it steams since we won't be flipping the crepe.
• Remove the lid, lower heat to medium-low and wait for the crêpe to become crisp. This takes about 5-7 minutes. This step lets the ingredients fully cook through, including the batter. It also lets steam escape so the batter can crisp up. Brush on a little oil around the edges if you're not seeing or hearing enough batter to pan contact. Fold in half, transfer to a plate and serve immediately. For batter troubleshooting please see the troubleshooting section in the post above.

VIETNAMESE SIZZLING CREPES

Steps:

• 1. For the batter: In a bowl, whisk together rice flour, cornstarch, turmeric, salt, coconut milk and water. Keep green onions at the ready, do not add yet.
• 2. For the sauce: Mix all sauce ingredients together, adjust taste to your liking; set aside.
• 3. For the filling: In a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil then add onions. (I advise using ONLY a non-stick skillet for this recipe.) Saute for 2-3 minutes until onions lose their rawness but are still crisp. Remove to a plate.
• 4. To the same pan, add shallot, add some oil and saute until fragrant, then add pork and allow it to cook, undisturbed for about a minute. Then add fish sauce and pepper and cook until pork is completely cooked. Remove to a clean plate.
• 5. To the same pan with a coating of oil, and still at medium-high heat, add shrimp and saute both sides until fully cooked. This will only take a couple minutes depending on the size of your shrimp. Remove to a clean plate. If your shrimp are large, cut in half lengthwise.
• 6. For the Crepes: Add the chopped green onions to the batter and stir well. Wipe the pan clean, place over medium to medium-high heat, and add oil to coat the pan. If you are using a 12-inch skillet, once it is hot, pour 1/3 of the batter into it and swirl until the bottom of the pan is covered. The batter should sizzle when you pour it in the pan. If you use a smaller or a larger pan, adjust the amount of batter. Use just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. (Rice flour has a tendency to sink to the bottom of the bowl, so remember to stir the batter before making your crepes.)
• 7. When the bottom of the crepe seems like it's about to start getting crispy, (lift the edge with a spatula to check), add 1/2 cup bean sprouts to one half of the crepe. Let it cook for about 30 more seconds and begin layering the other ingredients, 1/3 of the onion, 1/3 pork, and 1/3 shrimp, to the same side as the bean sprouts, leaving the other half free.
• 8. Continue to cook for 2-3 (or more) minutes until the crepe becomes crispy. I you feel it needs more oil, drizzle some around the rim of the pan. Also make sure it is not getting too dark by keeping the heat adjusted. The important thing to remember is you need to give the crepe time to become crispy.
• 9. When the crepe is as crispy as you want it, fold the half without the filling over the other half. Slide it from the pan onto a plate or use 2 spatulas to maneuver it onto a plate.
• 10. Continue with the other 2 crepes, wiping the skillet clean between crepes, remembering to stir the batter before pouring it into the pan.
• 11. Serve the crepes hot with herbs, lettuce and dipping sauce.