Meera Sodha’s Vietnamese Coconut Pancakes (Banh Xeo)
These Vietnamese Coconut Pancakes are fromMeera Sodha’s popular cookbook, East.Fresh, herby slaw is stuffed into a coconut and turmeric crepe, wrapped incrisp lettuce and dunked into a citrusy, spicy vegetarian nuoc cham. They’re surprisinglyfilling and perfect to share with friends!
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Servings: 6 pancakes
Ingredients
- 220 g rice flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 egg
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 175 ml water
- 200 g red cabbage, around ¼, finely shredded
- 2 slim carrots, julienned
- 5 spring onions, finely chopped
- 40 g fresh mixed herbs, coriander, mint, Thai basil and Vietnamese mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped
- 5 tablespoons lime juice, from around 3 limes
- 3½ teaspoons sugar
- 1½ tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1½ bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Rapeseed oil
To Serve:
- Fresh green leaves, either one or a mixture of lettuce leaves, mustard greens and Vietnamese perilla
- Extra herbs, leaves left whole, a combination of mint, Vietnamese mint and coriander
Instructions
- Start by making the batter. In a large bowl, mix together the rice flour, salt, turmeric and egg. Add the coconut milk and water and whisk until the batter is smooth and runny. Set aside to stand for at least 10 minutes.
- Next, make the slaw. In a different large bowl, combine the shredded cabbage, carrots, spring onions and herbs. Set aside while you make the nuoc cham chay.
- To make the nuoc cham chay, add the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, chillies and garlic into a small bowl and mix well. Pour around half of the sauce over the slaw and mix. Taste, adding one tablespoon at a time until you’re happy with the ratio of sauce to slaw. Pour the remainder of the sauce into a small serving bowl for dipping.
- To make the banh xeo, heat a teaspoon of oil in a non-stick frying pan (see notes) over a medium flame, swirling it around to coat the pan. When the frying pan is piping hot, pour around ¾ of a ladleful (see notes) of batter into the pan. Working quickly, swirl the pan around so that the batter reaches the edges of the pan.
- Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until small bubbles form and the batter firms up. While it’s still cooking in the pan, add a handful of the slaw to one side of the pancake and let it heat up slightly until the bottom of the pancake is slightly crispy and golden. Fold the banh xeo over the filling and gently slide onto a plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter until you have 6-10 pancakes (see notes).
- Serve the banh xeo with fresh green leaves, lots of herbs and the rest of the nuoc cham chay. To eat it, start with a lettuce leaf base, layer on other leaves and herbs and top with a piece of banh xeo. Roll it up as best you can (this will depend on the type of lettuce you’re using), dunk it into the dressing and enjoy!
Cook along with me
Notes
This is the Vietnamese Coconut Pancakes from Meera Sodha’s cookbook East on page 428 of my edition, published by Penguin Books.
The only amendment I made was to the cooking method and serving suggestion, based on my own experience from eating lots and lots of banh xeo in Vietnam.
The amount of pancakes this recipe makes will depend upon the size of the frying pan you are using. Meera suggests using a large frying pan and getting 6 pancakes from the batter. I used a smaller frying pan, 20 cms in size, and got 10 perfect pancakes from the same amount of batter. This will also impact the amount of batter you pour into the pan. Less is more until you find the right amount to swirl for the size of your pan.
I find it easier to control a smaller pan when swirling the batter and I prefer the crispier texture of the smaller ones. If you’re going to serve them as a stuffed pancake with no accompaniment, then go ahead and make the bigger ones for a satisfying and healthy meal! If you want to try serving them with fresh green leaves and extra herbs, banh xeo style, then smaller ones are the way to go.
The batter keeps quite well overnight in the fridge, if you have leftovers. Just give it a good whisk to re-incorporate the rice flour, a quick little 10-minute rest, and it’s good to go.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @food_daydreaming or tag #fooddaydreaming on instagram. I love seeing what you all come up with!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 345.95kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.38g | Protein: 6.25g | Fat: 17.76g | Sodium: 613.95mg | Fiber: 4.35g | Sugar: 7.68g