Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes-Banh Xeo

I?ll admit that I learnt about Vietnamese Sizzling Crepe or Banh Xeo from chef Anthony Bourdain of No Reservation programme. On one of his trips over to Vietnam, I recalled he had this crepe for breakfast. Anyway, I had tried many recipes from various sources for this crepe, but, the end result was less than satisfying. Until recently, when I tried the recipe from Mai Pham?s Vietnamese cookbook. Using this recipe, I just simply substituted the meat with prawns for the filling. The outcome was great, light and crispy crepe with delicious moist and juicy prawn filling. Yummy!


Recipe adapted from Pleasures Of The Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham

Vietnamese Sizzling Crepe-Banh Xeo
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

Batter
2 Cups Rice Flour
½ Cup Coconut Milk
2 1/3 Cups Water
1 ½ tsp Ground Turmeric
1 tsp Sugar
½ tsp Sea Salt
½ tsp Curry Powder, preferably Vietnamese Golden Bells Brand
3 Scallions cut into thin rings

Filling
36 Medium Prawns, peeled
½ Large Yellow Onion, thinly sliced
4 Cups Bean Sprouts
2 Tbsp vegetable Oil plus extra oil for the crepe
A pinch of Sea Salt

Accompaniments
1 Cup Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
Green Leaf Lettuce
Dipping Sauce

Method

Combine the batter ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended. Set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Toss in the prawns and onions. Give it a quick stir and add in a pinch of sea salt. Sauté until the prawns turn pink and fragrant. Set aside.

Whisk the batter well and heat a non-stick or crepe pan (8 inches in diameter) over moderate heat. Add 1 Tbsp of the oil and ladle about ½ cup of the batter and tilt to evenly coat the surface.

When the crepe begins to feel firm, gently pried and lift up one side and add in another ½ Tbsp of oil onto the pan. Gently tilt the pan to distribute the oil evenly. Then top one side of the crepe with some prawn mixture and bean sprouts. Fold the crepe in half and reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook the crepe for another 2 minutes.

Gently remove the crepe to a serving plate. Repeat with remaining batter and ingredients to make about 7 to 8 crepes.

Serve the crepes with lettuce and dipping sauce.
Mix 6 chopped Thai bird-eye chilies, garlic, 6 Tbsp sugar, 1 cup warm water, 3 Tbsp lime juice, and 8 Tbsp Fish Sauce