Recipes
Asian
Bánh xèo

Bánh xèo

Name: Bánh xèo
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 75 g rice flour; 1 tbsp cornflour; 0.5 tsp ground turmeric; 0.25 tsp fine salt; 80 ml coconut milk; 130 ml cold water; 1 spring onion; 20 g split mung beans; 50 g pork belly; 3 raw prawns; 1 shallot; 50 g bean sprouts; 4 tsp vegetable oil; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 1.5 tsp caster sugar; 1 tbsp lime juice; 1 clove garlic; 0.5 red chilli; 2 tbsp warm water; 4 soft lettuce leaves; 20 g mint, coriander and Thai basil

Crisp, golden Vietnamese rice-flour pancakes turned yellow with turmeric, filled with pork, prawns, bean sprouts and steamed mung beans, then torn into lettuce leaves with herbs and dipped in nuoc cham.

Mains 25g+ protein 8g+ fibre

60 min40 prep · 20 cookMedium1243 kcalper serving

Instructions

Rinse 20 g of split mung beans until the water runs clear, then soak in warm water for 1 hour. Drain and steam over simmering water for 15 minutes, until a bean crushes easily between your fingers but still holds its shape. Set aside.
Whisk 75 g of rice flour, 1 tbsp of cornflour, 0.5 tsp of ground turmeric and 0.25 tsp of fine salt in a bowl, then pour in 80 ml of coconut milk and 130 ml of cold water, whisking to a lump-free batter the consistency of single cream. Stir in 1 thinly sliced spring onion and leave to rest for 30 minutes so the flour hydrates; stir again just before frying, as it settles.
Make the nuoc cham: stir 1.5 tsp of caster sugar into 2 tbsp of warm water until dissolved, then add 1 tbsp of fish sauce, 1 tbsp of lime juice, 1 clove of minced garlic and 0.5 sliced red chilli. Taste, it should be sharp, salty and lightly sweet, and set aside in a small dipping bowl.
Set a 20 cm non-stick or well-seasoned cast-iron pan over medium-high heat with 1 tsp of the oil. Fry 50 g of thinly sliced pork belly for about 3 minutes until the edges are browned and some fat has rendered, then add 3 prawns and 1 sliced shallot and cook 2 minutes more, until the prawns are just pink. Tip onto a plate and divide into two portions. Wipe the pan clean.