Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes)

Ingredients

• 200 g rice flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 dl coconut milk
• 4½ dl water
• 3 spring onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 2 garlic, crushed
• 1 fresh chilli, finely sliced
• 250 g pork belly, thinly sliced
• 250 g shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 200 g bean sprouts
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lettuce, leaves separated
• 3 tbsp fresh mint
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro

Method

1. 1.

   Whisk a thin batter — Whisk the rice flour, cornstarch, turmeric and salt with the coconut milk and 350 ml of the water until the batter is as thin as single cream — much thinner than a pancake batter, which is what makes the crepe shatter. Stir in the spring onions and rest it for 30 minutes.

2. 2.

   Mix the nuoc cham — Make the dipping sauce: dissolve the sugar in the remaining 90 ml water, then stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, crushed garlic and sliced chilli. It should taste sharp, salty and sweet all at once.

3. 3.

   Set out the herb platter — Wash and thoroughly dry the lettuce leaves, mint and cilantro and pile them on a platter. Every mouthful gets wrapped in a leaf, so the greens are not a garnish here.

4. 4.

   Sear the pork and shrimp — Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a 24 cm non-stick pan over high heat until it shimmers. Add a quarter of the pork belly and fry for 2 minutes until the fat turns translucent, then add a quarter of the shrimp and cook for 1 minute more, until just pink.

5. 5.

   Cook the crepe until lacy — Stir the batter and ladle about 120 ml into the pan, tilting it so the batter runs thin right up the sides. Scatter a quarter of the bean sprouts over one half, cover and cook for 3 minutes, then uncover and fry for 2-3 minutes more, until the edges lift away from the pan and turn lacy and brittle. Fold it in half and slide it out.

6. 6.

   Repeat and wrap to eat — Repeat with the remaining oil, pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and batter to make four crepes, serving each as it comes off the heat. Tear off pieces, wrap them in a lettuce leaf with mint and cilantro, and dip.