Bánh Xèo — Crispy Turmeric Crêpes with Prawn, Pork & Herbs

⏱ 60 min · Serves 4

Shatteringly crisp, golden coconut-turmeric crêpes stuffed with sweet prawns, pork and bean sprouts, torn into lettuce leaves with a fistful of herbs and dunked in nuoc cham. Sizzling, messy, addictive — exactly how it should be.

Per serving: 610 kcal · 33.0g protein · 58.0g carbs · 28.0g fat

Ingredients

• 200g rice flour
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 160ml coconut milk
• 350ml cold water (plus a splash of sparkling water if you have it)
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 200g pork belly or pork loin, thinly sliced
• 250g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
• 200g bean sprouts
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 6 tbsp neutral oil, for frying
• 1 large butter or oak leaf lettuce, leaves separated
• Large handful mint, Thai basil and coriander sprigs
• For the nuoc cham: 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 tbsp warm water
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 1 small carrot, finely julienned

Method

1. Whisk rice flour, cornflour, turmeric, salt and sugar in a bowl. Pour in coconut milk and water and whisk to a thin, single-cream consistency. Stir in the spring onions and rest 30 minutes — it should be pourable and very loose.
2. Make the nuoc cham: dissolve sugar in the warm water, then stir in fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, chilli and carrot. Taste — it should be sharp, salty and lightly sweet.
3. Season the pork lightly with salt and pepper. Pat the prawns dry. Arrange all fillings and the herb platter within reach; once you start frying, things move fast.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a 24cm non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add a quarter of the pork and onion, fry 2 minutes, then add a quarter of the prawns and cook 1 minute until just pink.
5. Stir the batter (it separates), then ladle about 150ml into the hot pan, swirling immediately to coat the base thinly and running batter up the sides. Add a quarter of the bean sprouts to one half.
6. Drizzle 1/2 tbsp oil round the edge, cover and cook 3 minutes, then uncover and cook 3–4 minutes more until the edges lift and the base is lacy, deep gold and crisp.
7. Fold the crêpe over the sprouts into a half-moon, slide onto a warm plate and repeat with the remaining batter and fillings, wiping the pan between crêpes.
8. Serve straight away: tear pieces of bánh xèo, wrap in lettuce with plenty of herbs and dunk generously in nuoc cham.