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Try this Vietnamese bánh xèo recipe, adapted from Vietnamese: Simple Vietnamese Food to Cook at Home by Uyen Luu (£22, Hardie Grant). Uyen says:"There’s a knack to eating these: gather a handful of leaves and herbs in your hand, break off some crêpe onto the leaves, then roll it up and dip it into the sauce. You can vary the filling." This recipe was supplied by the publisher and not retested by us.

For more savoury pancake ideas, check out our French socca, baked pancakes and kimchi pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 100g rice flour (non-glutinous)
  • 1 heaped tsp ground turmeric
  • 200ml coconut milk
  • 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ tsp sea salt flakes
  • a pinch caster sugar

FILLING

  • vegetable or coconut oil, for frying
  • 2 round shallots, thinly sliced
  • 200g shelled king prawns, de-veined and halved
  • 100g bean sprouts
  • 50g garlic chives or coriander, (optional)

TO SERVE

  • lettuce leaves, large handful
  • 3 spring onions, cut into short lengths
  • a few handfuls Asian herbs, (such as coriander, thai sweet basil, garden mint, perilla and cockscomb)

DIPPING SAUCE (NƯỚC MẤM)

  • 2 bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp caster sugar
  • 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 4 tbsp fish sauce

Method

  • STEP 1

    To make the crêpe batter, mix together the flour, turmeric, coconut milk, the spring onion, salt, sugar and 200ml of water in a bowl until smooth and free of lumps. It should have the consistency of single cream.

  • STEP 2

    To make the filling, heat 1 tsp of oil in a 20cm lidded non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry a few slices of shallot until golden. Season the prawns with salt and pepper, then put a few of them in the pan, stirring for 1 minute.

  • STEP 3

    Using a shallow ladle, pour in a thin layer of the batter, swirling the pan to cover all around the edges. Add a handful of the bean sprouts and garlic chives, then cover the pan with the lid. Allow to cook for 2 minutes with the lid on.

  • STEP 4

    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.

  • STEP 5

    To make the dipping sauce, mix together all of the ingredients with 80ml of water. Serve alongside the crêpes, with the lettuce, spring onions and herbs.

Learn about Vietnamese coffee culture with our expert barista Celeste Wong's guide, including traditional rituals, how to order it and the perfect recipe for at-home brewing.


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