These Vietnamese crêpes contain 9 plants and a load of fermented gut goodness

Crispy vegetable crepe

Credit: Uyen Luu

Strong Women


These Vietnamese crêpes contain 9 plants and a load of fermented gut goodness

By Miranda Larbi

2 years ago

3 min read

Ready in no time, packed with nutrients and perfect for dipping, bánh xèo chay may be the dish your summer repertoire has been missing.


Summer may be coming to an end (What summer? I hear you ask), but it’s still very much the season for light, fragrant dinners. This Vietnamese dish (bánh xèo chay) is the perfect thing for warm, still-light evenings when you want something absolutely teeming with flavour but won’t sit heavy on the stomach.

It’s bursting with gut-loving plants. You’ve got your lettuce and herb salad. The rolls are packed with shallots (high in antioxidants), courgette (vitamin C), kale (vitamin A). Bean sprouts are packed with folate – important for producing and maintaining new cells, while chives are full of bone-strengthening vitamin K. And you’ve got the option of adding gut hero kimchi. 

The prep takes 30 minutes but once you’ve got your various bits assembled, it’s a case of a quick fry, wrap and eat – making it an ideal WFH dinner. Prep in advance and when you’re ready to tuck in, whip out the frying pan. 

Ingredients

serves

4

prep time

30 mins

For the salad

Any kind of lettuce leaves

Selection of Vietnamese herbs (like Thai basil, coriander, mint)

For the dipping sauce

2½ tbsp marmalade

3 tsp English mustard

2½ tbsp soy sauce

Juice of 3 or 4 limes (about 2 tablespoons)

2 bird’s eye chillies, sliced

For the batter

150g frozen spinach, defrosted for 1 hour

200ml water

200g rice flour

400ml coconut milk

200ml cold sparkling water

1 spring onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

½ tsp sea salt

For the filling

150ml rapeseed oil

3 small round shallots, sliced

1 courgette, julienned

100g kale, stem removed, thinly sliced

100g bean sprouts

50g garlic chives, cut into 4cm strips

2 tbsp capers

100g kimchi, sliced (optional)

Crispy vegetable crepe

Credit: Uyen Luu

Method

1. Wash and dry the salad leaves and herbs and set them aside. 

2. Mix the dipping sauce ingredients together and decant into individual bowls.

3. To make the crêpe batter, put the frozen spinach into a blender with the water and blend until smooth. 

4. In a mixing bowl, mix together the rice flour, coconut milk, sparkling water, spring onion, nutritional yeast and salt. Add the spinach blend and whisk together until smooth and the consistency of single cream.

5. Place all your prepped filling ingredients near the stove. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry a few slices of shallot until golden.

6. Using a shallow ladle, mix the crêpe batter well to ensure even consistency and pour in a thin layer, swirling the pan to get it covered to the edges. Add a handful of the courgette, kale, bean sprouts and chives, then cover the pan with the lid. Keep the steam in and allow to cook for 2 minutes.

7. Remove the lid, dot with the capers and scatter the kimchi (if using) around. Cook for a further 1–2 minutes, making sure the crêpe is crisp and golden. 

8. Fold the crêpe in half, serve or set aside. 

9. Repeat this process to make the rest of the bánh xèo.

10. To eat, gather a lettuce leaf on the palm of your hand and fill it up with an abundance of herbs. Break off a piece of bánh xèo and place it onto your herb-filled lettuce leaf. Roll up the package into a cigar, dip it in the sauce and tuck in.


Recipe/images taken from Vietnamese Vegetarian by Uyen Luu (Hardie Grant, £25)

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