Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Crêpes)

Step 1

Prepare the mung beans. In a small bowl, soak 1 cup of dried mung beans in water until softened about 1 hour or overnight. Drain the mung beans and blend a 1/2 cup with coconut milk until smooth. Set aside the other 1/2 cup for steaming.

Step 2

Mix the batter. In a large mixing bowl, add the mung bean mixture, rice flour, cornstarch, water, scallions, turmeric, sugar and salt. Mix together to combine. Let the crepe batter rest for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.

Step 3

Cook the pork, shrimp and onion. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or a 10-inch nonstick skillet. Add the pork, shrimp and slices of yellow onion. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute until the shrimp is pink and done cooking. Set aside.

Step 4

Steam the mung beans. In a steamer heat 1/2 of your steamer with water and bring it to a boil. Lay the mung beans over your steamer basket and steam for 15 minutes or until soft and tender. Set aside.

Step 5

In the wok or large skillet on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, a few slices of pork, shrimp and onion one one side of the pan. Stir the crêpe batter and pour 2/3 cup of it into the pan; tilt and swirl the pan to coat the edges until it is an even layer, making sure to cover the shrimp and pork. Scatter mung beans over the crepe and place the bean sprouts on the half of the crepe with the pork and shrimp. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil around the edges. Cover the skillet and cook over moderately medium to steam the bean sprouts for 2 minutes. Then remove the lid and cook on medium high until the bottom of the crêpe is golden and crisp, about 5-7 more minutes. Then fold the crepe in half.

Step 6

Slide the crêpe onto a plate and serve with lettuce leaves, mint and nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce). Repeat with the remaining ingredients, serving the crêpes as soon as they are cooked.