Recipes
Uyen Luu's Bánh Xèo Tôm
You’ll need an 8 inch (20 centimeter) non-stick frying pan (skillet) with a lid for this recipe.
Makes about 6 servings
Bánh xèo is a light savory crêpe, eaten with an abundance of salad leaves and herbs. There’s a knack to eating these: gather a palmful of leaves and herbs into your hand, break off some crêpe onto the leaves, then roll it up and dip it into the sauce. You can vary the filling.
Image Credits
Photo by Uyen Luu
ingredients
For the fish sauce (nước mắm)
- 2 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 80 milliliters/2½ fluid ounces/5 tablespoons hot water
For the crêpe batter
- 100 grams/3½ ounces/1 cup rice flour (Asian Rose Brand, or any non-glutinous)
- 1 heaped teaspoon ground turmeric
- 200 milliliters/7 fluid ounces coconut milk
- 200 milliliters/7 fluid ounces water
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- A pinch of superfine sugar
- Vegetable or coconut oil, for frying
For the filling
- 2 round shallots, thinly sliced
- 200 grams/7 ounces shelled, de-veined and halved king prawns
- 100 grams/3½ ounces beansprouts
- 50 grams/2 ounces garlic chives or cilantro (optional)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the garnish
- Lettuce leaves
- Scallions, cut into short lengths
- A variety of Asian herbs, such as cilantro, Thai sweet basil, garden mint, shiso, cockscomb
method
- Wash and dry the salad leaves and set them aside.
- To make the fish sauce, mix all the ingredients together well.
- Next, make the crêpe batter. Mix together the flour, turmeric, coconut milk, water, scallion, salt, and sugar in a bowl, making sure it is smooth and free of lumps. It should resemble the consistency of single cream.
- To make the filling, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan (skillet) over a medium–high heat and fry a few slices of shallot until golden. Season the prawns with salt and pepper and add a couple of pieces to the pan for a minute.
- Using a shallow ladle, pour in a thin layer of the crêpe batter, swiveling the pan to get it covered all around the edges. Add a handful of beansprouts and chives and cover the pan with the lid. Keep the steam in and allow to cook for 2 minutes with the lid on.
- 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 crepes.
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Recipe excerpted with permission from Vietnameseby Uyen Luu, published by Hardie Grant Books, May 2021Links
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