Whip up a batch of these popular sweet, sour, salty and spicy savoury vegan pancakes. They contain no eggs or gluten and there's no need for flipping. Once you've made crispy bánh xèo, a type of Vietnamese pancake, they'll be no going back.
2tspgolden caster sugar(I used 1 tsp as blood orange isn't as sharp as lime)
2tbsplime juice(I used blood orange juice instead)
1clovegarlicfinely sliced
1small red chilli finely sliced. Deseed if you prefer less heat or use a mild chilli or omit altogether.
To Serve
18crisp lettuce leaves
1bunchfresh soft green herbsmint, coriander or shiso all work well
Instructions
To make the batter, whisk the flour, arrowroot, turmeric and salt together with the coconut milk and water until smooth and no lumps remain. Set aside to rest for thirty minutes. Or leave overnight in the fridge if you want the pancakes for the following day.
140 g brown rice flour, 1 tbsp arrowroot, 1 tsp ground turmeric, ¼ tsp sea salt, 250 ml coconut milk, 200 ml water
Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce by stirring all the ingredients together. Set aside until needed.
2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce, ½ tsp tamari (affiliate link), 2 tsp golden caster sugar, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 clove garlic, 1 small red chilli
Slice the tofu block into 48 rectangular pieces. Heat a medium non-stick frying pan, wok or crèpe pan over a medium high heat. Add two teaspoons of cooking oil and fry the tofu pieces for three minutes, tossing occasionally until at least one side is crispy. Transfer the tofu onto a plate.
280 g firm tofu
Wipe the mushrooms clean, then roughly chop.
150 g mushrooms of your choice
Reheat the pan, if necessary, over a medium high heat then brush one teaspoon of oil over the hot pan. Lay one sixth of the mushrooms and one sixth of the tofu in the pan and cook for 1 minute.
Stir the spring onion slices into the batter and add half a ladleful to the pan. Swirl it around until it covers the bottom. If you need to add a little more, do so, but the pancake should be as thin as possible. Fry for a minute
4 spring onions (scallions)
As soon as you see bubbles emerging in the batter, place a sixth of the bean sprouts on one half. Cover the pan and steam for three minutes.
100 g bean sprouts
Take the lid off the pan and fry for a further two minutes or until the bottom is crispy.
Flip the empty half over the bean sprouts and serve hot along with the lettuce, herbs and dipping sauce.
18 crisp lettuce leaves, 1 bunch fresh soft green herbs
Repeat until you've used up all of the batter and filling ingredients.
Notes
Takes about seven minutes to cook each pancake. Best eaten as soon as they're cooked, but you can keep them warm in a low oven if you want to serve them all together. They won't be as crispy though. You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.