Bánh xèo are thin savoury rice-flour crêpes, fried in a very hot pan until crisp and eaten with lettuce, herbs and dipping sauce. This approachable version uses a simple rice-flour and coconut-milk batter.
Ingredients
- 200 g rice flour
- 30 g cornflour or potato starch
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 350 ml cold water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 spring onions, finely sliced
- 200 g pork belly or pork loin, sliced very thinly
- 200 g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 200 g mung bean sprouts
- 5–6 tbsp neutral oil for frying
- 1 large lettuce and mixed herbs such as mint, coriander and Thai basil
- Nuoc cham for serving
Method
- Mix the rice flour, starch, turmeric and salt. Whisk in coconut milk and water to make a thin batter. Stir in spring onions and rest for 20 minutes.
- Season the pork and prawns lightly. Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot and add 1 tsp oil.
- Fry a little pork, prawn and onion for 1–2 minutes. Pour in a thin ladle of batter and immediately swirl the pan.
- Add a handful of bean sprouts to one half. Cover for 1 minute, then cook uncovered for 3–5 minutes until the edge and underside are crisp.
- Fold the crêpe and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding a little oil before each crêpe.
- Wrap pieces in lettuce and herbs and dip in nuoc cham.
Tips and variations
- The pan must be very hot before the batter goes in.
- Pour a thin layer; this is not meant to be a thick European pancake.
- For a vegetarian version, use mushrooms and firm tofu and serve with a vegetarian dipping sauce.
