Delightful Crepes
At a glance, this recipe may look like the one for Sizzling Crepes (page 274), and in fact these crepes from the central region begot sizzling crepes. But the popularity of the child has eclipsed that of the parent, and nowadays it is hard to get banh khoai unless you make them yourself or go to the source, Hue, where delightful crepes live up to their name. They are crunchy, rich from being cooked in a fair amount of oil, and full of toasty rice flavor. Banh khoai are traditionally fried in special small cast-iron skillets (five to six inches in diameter) with long handles (so you can avoid the splattering hot oil). They are difficult to find, however, so I use an eight-inch cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet.
To make a shortcut rice flour batter, in a bowl, stir together 2 1/2 cups rice flour, 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric. Make a well in the center, pour in 3 1/4 cups water, and whisk to create a silky batter. Set aside for 1 hour. Cook this batter in the same way.
Recipe information
Yield
makes twelve 6-inch crepes, to serve 4 to 6 as a one-dish meal
Ingredients
Batter
Filling
Preparation
Step 1
To make the batter, put the rice in a bowl and add water to cover by 1 inch. Let soak for 3 to 4 hours.
Step 2
Drain the rice and transfer to a blender. Add the salt, turmeric, and water and blend for about 3 minutes, or until very smooth and lemony yellow. Pour the batter through a fine-mesh sieve positioned over a bowl and discard the solids. Set the batter aside for 1 hour to thicken; it should be the consistency of heavy cream. There should be about 4 cups.
Step 3
Meanwhile, make the filling. In a bowl, combine the pork, fish sauce, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon each of the sugar and salt and use chopsticks to mix well. In another bowl, combine the shrimp with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each sugar and salt and mix well. In a skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil medium heat. Add the pork and saute for about 2 minutes, or until aromatic and just cooked through. Transfer to a small plate or bowl. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet over medium heat, add the shrimp, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the shells are pink. Transfer to another small plate or bowl.
Step 4
Put the pork, shrimp, and other filling ingredients; the batter; and the oil next to one side of the stove. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet and place the sheet on the other side of the stove.
Step 5
For each crepe, heat 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the oil in an 8-inch cast iron or heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Because the rice will have settled at the bottom of the bowl, give the batter a good stir with a ladle. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the skillet and swirl the pan to film the bottom thickly. The batter should sizzle, seize, and bubble. Visualize a line down the middle of the skillet and roughly arrange about 2 tablespoons pork and 3 shrimp on either side of the line. Drizzle a scant tablespoon of beaten egg evenly over the crepe, scatter 1 1/2 teaspoons of the scallions on top, and then place 1/4 cup of the bean sprouts on one-half. Cover and cook until the bean sprouts have wilted slightly, about 2 minutes.
Step 6
Remove the lid and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes to crisp the crepe. The edge will have pulled away from the skillet and be lifting upward. At this point, use a spatula to check underneath. It should be pockmarked, crispy, and without soft spots. If the crepe needs to cook a little longer, lower the heat and add more oil if necessary to prevent sticking. When the crepe is ready, use the spatula to fold it in half and transfer it to the rack to drain. (If the crepe is hard to fold, transfer it to the rack and fold it after it has cooled; it is okay if the spine breaks.) Adjust the heat as needed to ensure a hot, but not smoking, skillet. Repeat with the remaining batter and filling ingredients to make 12 crepes in all. When you are comfortable with the technique, you can try frying the crepes in 2 skillets at the same time. The crepes taste best straight from the skillet, but they will stay crunchy and tasty for 2 hours. Keep them on the rack until serving.
Step 7
Arrange the crepes on platters and serve with the vegetable garnish plate and dipping sauce. Pass around 1 or 2 pairs of kitchen scissors for diners to cut their crepes into manageably sized pieces. To eat, tear a piece of lettuce roughly the size of your palm, place a piece of the crepe on it, add cucumber slices and a few herb leaves, drizzle on a little sauce, and shape into a bundle.
