Banh Xeo (Central Style Crepes with Pate Sauce), No Added Refined Sugar
Vietnamese dishesSavory CakesCentral Vietnam60 minutes, including 15 to 20 minutes resting the batter
Banh xeo mien Trung comes in small, shatteringly crisp crepes, dipped in a rich pate sauce rather than the sweet sour fish sauce most people expect. The hardest part is the heat and the batter, since a slightly thick crepe turns soft while a very thin one tears when it is folded.
The batter is mixed with soda water in place of plain water, poured in slowly and stirred without stopping so it does not go lumpy, then rested for 15 to 20 minutes before the first crepe.
This batch weighs about 2.7kg, at roughly 189 calories per 100g.
Method
Trim the legs, feelers and heads from the shrimp, rinse and drain. Rinse the pork belly and slice thinly.
Set a pan with 1 tablespoon cooking oil, fry 1 teaspoon of the minced shallot and garlic until fragrant, add the pork belly, season with 1 teaspoon seasoning powder and 1/2 teaspoon MSG, and stir steadily.
Once the pork firms up, add the shrimp, season with another 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder and 1/2 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, stir until the shrimp are cooked, scatter over pepper, then turn off the stove.
Make the sauce: set a pot with 1 tablespoon cooking oil, fry the rest of the minced shallot and garlic, add 150g ground pork and stir, then season with 1 teaspoon seasoning powder.
Once the pork is firm and dry, add 1 teaspoon annatto oil, stir through, then add 300ml water.
When it boils, add 150g pate and 2/3 tablespoon peanut butter and stir until dissolved. Mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch with a little water, pour it in and stir until thickened, taste again, then turn off the stove.
Put 250g banh xeo flour mix in a bowl, add 660ml soda water slowly while stirring, and rest the batter for 15 to 20 minutes.
Set a pan with about 2 tablespoons cooking oil and tilt it so the oil coats the surface. Ladle in the batter and swirl to coat the pan.
Lay the cooked shrimp and pork and the bean sprouts over the crepe and cover for about 1 minute.
Once the crepe is golden and crisp, fold it in half and lift it onto a plate. Carry on until the batter is used up, and serve hot with the pate sauce.
Tips
Pour the soda water into the flour slowly while stirring, and the batter will not go lumpy.
Cook the filling first, which keeps the crepes coming quickly and stops them going soft.
Tilt the pan so the oil coats the whole surface before the batter goes in, which is what makes the crepe evenly crisp.
Mix the cornstarch with a little cold water before it goes into the sauce, so it thickens smoothly with no grit.
Mash the pate with a little hot sauce liquid before it goes into the pot, as a whole block leaves lumps.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.