Vietnamese Stuffed Pancakes

I am a big fan of Vietnamese food and I have been fortunate enough to sample quiet a bit of it while I was living in Dallas. There were a couple of great restaurants in areas where I used to work so it was pretty easy for me to bounce into a place, get a nice clay pot of food, or sample really authentic cha gio, pho, or things such as bánh xèo, otherwise known as “sizzling cake”. I am also a big fan of creating new things and allowing my family to experience things that they would either never order off a menu, or probably never try in their lifetime.

As my wife was a big fan of the Korean pancakes I made some time ago, I decided to make another spin off of those, but introducing her to a Vietnamese style, savory pancake, or crepe, if you will.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of rice flour
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 12 oz light beer
• 13.5 oz of coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups of cold water
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cooked pork, chopped
• 1 cooked shrimp, chopped
• 1/4 cup of fresh bean sprouts
• fresh cilantro
• fresh mint leaves
• Thai bird chile, optional
• Romaine Lettuce leaves
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• Nuoc Cham, optional

I have listed the pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts in the quantity that will make one pancake, so prepare more if you are feeding a small army of people.

Start by mixing both flours, and salt. Add in the coconut milk, beer, and water. Whisk until you have a smooth batter. Toss in the green onions, stir, and set aside and let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes, or even better, overnight, covered in the refrigerator.

Prepare all of your ingredients as these pancakes cook rather quickly.

Heat a nonstick skillet on medium, to medium high heat for a minute or so. Add in the oil and swirl around. When you begin to smell the oil heating up, toss in the cooked pork and shrimp, just to warm them through.

Give the pancake mixture a good stir as things will have settled to the bottom of the bowl.

Ladle in enough of the mixture to lightly blanket the shrimp and pork. You are not going for a thick and dense pancake here. Add the bean sprouts to the top of the pancake.

Cover the skillet and cook the pancake for about three minutes. Uncover, and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Using a spatula, slide it under the pancake, sliding it around the edges, and carefully fold.

Place on a serving dish, and garnish with fresh mint, cilantro, lettuce leafs, and the Thai chile.

Take a bit of the pancake, place it inside the lettuce leaf, and top with the fresh herbs.  Drizzle some of the nuoc cham on the top and dig in.

This Vietnamese savory pancake is a thing of beauty. Nice and crisp on the exterior, and soft and velvety on the interior. That along with the shrimp and pork, with the crunch from the bean sprouts, well, I think you just found your new best friend.  Hope you enjoy.

Vietnamese Stuffed Pancakes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 18 minutes mins

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups of rice flour
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 12 oz light beer
• 13.5 oz of coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups of cold water
• 3 green onions thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cooked pork chopped
• 1 cooked shrimp chopped
• 1/4 cup of fresh bean sprouts
• fresh cilantro
• fresh mint leaves
• Thai bird chile optional
• Romaine Lettuce leaves
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• Nuoc Cham optional

Instructions

 

• I have listed the pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts in the quantity that will make one pancake, so prepare more if you are feeding a small army of people.
• Start by mixing both flours, and salt. Add in the coconut milk, beer, and water. Whisk until you have a smooth batter. Toss in the green onions, stir, and set aside and let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes, or even better, overnight, covered in the refrigerator.
• Prepare all of your ingredients as these pancakes cook rather quickly.
• Heat a nonstick skillet on medium, to medium high heat for a minute or so. Add in the oil and swirl around. When you begin to smell the oil heating up, toss in the cooked pork and shrimp, just to warm them through.
• Give the pancake mixture a good stir as things will have settled to the bottom of the bowl.
• Ladle in enough of the mixture to lightly blanket the shrimp and pork. You are not going for a thick and dense pancake here. Add the bean sprouts to the top of the pancake.
• Cover the skillet and cook the pancake for about three minutes. Uncover, and cook another 2-3 minutes.
• Using a spatula, slide it under the pancake, sliding it around the edges, and carefully fold.
• Place on a serving dish, and garnish with fresh mint, cilantro, lettuce leafs, and the Thai chile.
• Take a bit of the pancake, place it inside the lettuce leaf, and top with the fresh herbs. Drizzle some of the nuoc cham on the top and dig in.
• This Vietnamese savory pancake is a thing of beauty. Nice and crisp on the exterior, and soft and velvety on the interior. That along with the shrimp and pork, with the crunch from the bean sprouts, well, I think you just found your new best friend. Hope you enjoy.