Vietnamese Crepes

Cute and colorful crepes to use as wraps or tacos, these hold together well and give great flavor to a wrap. As the heat of summer approaches these are something to keep in mind for light dinners, like tacos filled with fresh bounty from the garden or farmers market.

Bánh Xèo is the name for the real deal Vietnamese Pancake, these are an altered version that are more crepe-like but still a handy little treat. They are best eaten in the same day though I did mildly reheat some extras and they were still pliable.

Most recipes do not include eggs but when I followed these recipes and it didn’t end well…see the above photo.  It wouldn’t hold together or cook through. Perhaps my pan was not hot enough, I’m not sure. I then decided to veer off the Authenticity-course for something that I could actually create and added eggs to the batter.  All went swimmingly. My apologies for my brash alterations, but these are pretty good.

By now you’re probably saying, “Hey, these crepes are red…but they have turmeric in them and nothing with a red pigment.”  You would be correct.  In my pan these little crepes quickly became red so I had to rush off and look up the reason.  When combined with an alkaline base (such as baking soda) turmeric turns RED!  It’s a handy ph indicator—acids turn the curcumin in turmeric a very bright yellow and bases bring out the red. Who knew.

Happy Mother’s Day! 

Vietnamese Crepes

Prep Time: 10 minutes to mix, 2-8 hours to sit

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Mix in a bowl:

3/4 cup Rice Flour

1 teaspoon Turmeric, ground

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Dash of freshly ground Black Papper

Whisk in:

1 cup Water

1/2 cup Coconut Milk, full fat (around 1/3 can of full fat Coconut Milk)

2 small Eggs

1 Green Onion, minced

Let sit for at least two hours, or overnight. 

In a saute pan over medium-low heat, melt a small dab of:

Coconut Oil, or your favorite Oil

Drizzle in and tilt the pan to spread thin:

2-3 Tablespoons Batter

Cook 1-2 minutes, flip the crepe when firm enough to hold form.  Cook another 1-2 minutes. 

Use as a wrap or taco:

• Baby Lettuce, Shredded Chicken, Green Onion, Thai Basil and Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce
• Shrimp, Cilantro, Bean Sprouts, Lime-Sugar-Fish Sauce-Garlic-Chili Dipping Sauce
• Shredded Pork, Spinach, Mint, Sriracha
• Fried Tofu, Greens, Lime, Thai Basil, Sriracha, Peanuts

Another treat from the Olympic Peninsula and part of our sensory overload as we left the midwest with 10 inches of snow and arrived to vibrant greenery and blossoms.

“If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?”

.

 Milton Berle