Bánh Xèo

Shrove Tuesday is so much fun because you can eat pancakes for breakfast, lunch and evening meal!

It also gives you an excuse to try random pancake recipes from around the world. This year it was these Vietnamese pancakes that caught my interest. On the streets of Hanoi they're usually filled with belly pork and prawns, probably fried in lard and dipped into fish sauce but this vegan version did not lack any flavour. It was sensational.

Ingredients

serves 2

for the pancake

200g Rice Flour

2 tsp ground Turmeric

150 ml water

100 ml beer

150 ml coconut milk

1.5 springs onions

150 g tofu, sliced and marinated

3 tbsp light soy sauce

10g fresh root ginger, sliced into batons

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

250 g shitake, oyster or enoki mushrooms, broken in bite sized pieces

100 g beansprouts, washed

1/2 tsp salt

Vegetable or groundnut oil, (for frying)

to serve

Lettuce or Mustard Greens

Mint / Coriander / Thai Basil

for the dipping Sauce a veggie friendly “Nuoc Mam Cham”

3 tbsp light soy sauce (instead of fish sauce)

3 tbsp white vinegar rice

1 tbsp sugar

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 red bird’s eye chili thinly sliced

2 tbsp lime juice

Method

Prepare the tofu and leave it to marinade with the soy sauce, ginger and garlic for over an hour.

Next make the dipping sauce. In a small pan mix the light soy sauce, vinegar and sugar with 125 ml of  water. Gently bring it up to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat just at the point of reaching a boil. Set aside and allow to cool.  Once cooled add the garlic, chilli and lime juice to the dipping sauce.

Sieve into a large mixing bowl the rice flour, then add turmeric and salt.  Slowly introduce the water then the beer and coconut milk to make a smooth batter. Add chopped spring onion and stir well. Leave the batter to rest for half an hour.

Bring a tablespoon of oil to a medium-high heat in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add the marinated tofu and mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 minutes to colour the tofu and cook the mushrooms.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Next add three tablespoon of oil and bring the frying pan up to a high heat, Ladle enough batter to coat the base (about 200ml) of the frying pan. Tilt the pan to spread the batter evenly.  Add a few slices of the marinated tofu and scatter over some mushrooms.

Place a lid on the frying pan and fry for a minute. Add a handful of beansprouts and cover the pan again. Cook for a further minute.

Next carefully lift the edges to check how the pancake is cooking. If it has started to colour and crisp up then carefully fold the pancake in half.  Cover the pan with the lid and continue to cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for a minute. The beansprouts should be warmed but retain a crunch.

Transfer to your plate. Sprinkle over the pancake some fresh herbs and finely sliced red chilli. Serve immediately with lettuce (or mustard greens) and the dipping sauce.

Apparently the correct way to eat it is to break off a piece of the stuffed pancake, wrap it all up in a lettuce leaf, making sure there's plenty of the fresh herbs involved and then dunk the Bánh Xèo in the dipping sauce. Delicious and messy - the best combination!