Vietnamese savoury crepes (banh xeo) recipe

Bánh xèo are often known as Vietnamese crêpes, though they look more like an omelette. In Vietnam, the recipe calls for yellow split mung beans, which you can buy online. The filling can vary but the vegetables need to be crunchy, so bean sprouts, spring onion and white radish work well, then you can add Asian herbs and leaves such as Thai basil, perilla, Asian coriander and Vietnamese mint (or just use standard coriander and mint), along with shredded cooked chicken or pork.

Timings

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves

Six to eight

Ingredients

For the pancakes

• 40g yellow split mung beans, soaked in water

• 150ml coconut milk,or as needed

• 100g rice flour or potato flour

• ½ tsp ground turmeric

• 1 small egg, beaten

• vegetable oil, for frying

• a little cow’s milk (optional), if needed

For the filling

• 1 carrot, peeled and shredded

• 6-7cm piece of mooli (white radish), or white turnip, shredded

• 3 spring onions, shredded on the diagonal handful of beansprouts

• a selection of Asian leaves and herbs, or coriander

• 150-180g cooked pork or chicken, shredded

To serve

• homemade nuoc cham (a Vietnamese blend of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, rice vinegar, chillies and garlic, mixed to taste), or a shop-bought version (it’s available from Ocado)

Method

1. Drain the mung beans then blitz them with the coconut milk.

2. Put the rice or potato flour, turmeric and egg into a bowl and whisk in enough of the coconut milk mixture to make 
   a smooth, pourable batter. Season with salt.

3. Heat half a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a non-stick pan, pour in a tablespoon of pancake mixture and turn the pan to spread evenly, to a diameter of about 12cm. Cook for a minute on each side (flipping with a spatula) on a medium heat until crisp. Taste the first one, adjust the seasoning of the mixture if necessary, and thin it with a little coconut or cow’s milk 
   if it’s too thick.

4. Lift out on to kitchen paper and keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Mix the vegetables, herbs and meat together and spoon on to the pancakes. Serve with the nuoc cham for dipping.