Banh Xeo, Vietnamese Crispy Pancakes with Shrimp.

With the challenge of doing different meatless dishes during the Lent, this has been most interesting not to mention the unexpected learning. 

A clip on Instagram showed Banh Xeo, a Vietnamese Street food prepared by a chef in London with pork and shrimp filling. The preparation is very much like that of the Dutch pancake Pannenkoeken where the batter of the pancake is poured onto the hot pan and then the filling is added on top.  Some of the recipes for BanH Xeo do add the filling first much like a Spanish omelette, Tortilla and then the batter over the filling to cook.  

This pancake batter is a little thicker, thus cooked longer covered with a lid so that the bottom is crispy and the middle is cooked. 

Turmeric gives this pancake it's golden brown color. 

There are four steps to the recipes and easy to do if everything is set out before beginning to make the pancakes

Step 1

Make the batter

1 1/4 c Banh Xeo mix*

2T cornflour

1-2 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp sugar

S&P

1 can Coconut milk

1 1/4 c cold water

* used rice flour 

Mix the dry together

add liquid to wet ingredients, whisk

Let sit overnight or for an hour

Make the Nuoc Cham Sauce for dipping

• 1/4 c Fish Sauce
• 1/4 c Lime juice and the rind
• 1/2 c water
• 1 T sugar
• hot chilli flakes
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/2 c shredded carrot

This is a delicious dipping sauce that is used for spring rolls and lettuce wraps.  

Prepare the vegetables for the pancakes

An assortment of vegetables; Cucumbers, Carrots, Asian Pears, Green Onion, Bell Peppers, Bean Sprouts, fresh herbs, like Cilantro, Mint, Basil.  And a plate of whole lettuce leaves to roll the pancake and veggies in a lettuce wraps. 

Make the pancakes

Whisk the batter before adding the chopped green onions to the mixture

Pour batter on oiled hot pan, spread batter quickly over the pan. 

Sprinkle sautéed shrimp, caramelized onion and garlic over the pancake, cover and let cook until crispy brown bottom and the middle is cooked.  Vegetables can also be added to one side of the pancake at this point.

Flip pancake in half when golden brown in color!

Break off small pieces of the pancake added to a lettuce leaf along with herbs and the veggies, roll up and dip in the Nuoc Cham or dipping sauce.  Messy but so delicious!

Peking Duck , two ways

Recently we joined friends at a downtown Chinese Restaurant and enjoyed Peking Duck two ways. Actually there is also another way, three ways to enjoy the duck which is to finish by having a soup made from the duck bones. 

The presentation of the Peking duck always amazes me in how the duck is beautifully craved. The chef craves the duck starting with the crispy skin on the breast of the duck, the rest of the duck skin, then thin slices of the duck is added as in this picture. 

With the craved duck comes slices of cucumber and green onion, along with Chinese Pancakes. Hoisin sauce and hot sauce is also included.

Our friend has shown us previously how to assemble the wrap using a small bowl which was provide for this.  Layer the Chinese Pancake first into the small bowl, a layer of hoisin sauce, then a slice of  duck along with the cucumber and green onion. This is easily wrapped using the bowl as the form.

The second way to eat Peking Duck is in a lettuce wrap.  For this dish, the minced duck is sautéed in a wok with vegetables served on a bed of crisp rice noodles.  A plate of  Iceberg leaves was brought with the minced duck. The minced duck is wrapped in this icy cold crispy Iceberg lettuce leaf.   Since there was some crispy duck left, I did use it in my wrap. One could also use the Chinese pancake as a wrap for the minced duck, but the crunch of the icy cold lettuce cuts through the fatness of the duck.   

Other dishes, Chinese fried rice with Shrimp and BBQ pork, Tempura Squid and Curried Shrimp arrived after the two dishes of Peking Duck.  

When In Beijing, the year before the Olympics, we did have Peking Duck in one of the restaurant that was was known for its Peking Duck.   Here we only did Peking Duck one way, with floured crepes. 
The Quanjude restaurant is one of the oldest restaurant know for it's Peking Duck when 
established in 1864 during the Qing Dynasty.  Legend has it that the imperial recipe was bought from a retire chef from the palace. 

The condiments were set out for the Peking Duck on each table. 

Quanjude Restaurant in Beijing

The duck was craved in front of us and then plates of Duck were served to each table.

On each table were bamboo steamers with hot steamed Chinese Pancakes or flour Crepes.

The Peking duck was served to each of us.  

With the current news covering the increase of refugees crossing the Manitoba border, the conversation quickly turned to this topic.  Our Chinese friend talked about the hardship his great great grandfather had endured when brought along with 17,000 others to British Columbia to work on the railway in the 1980's. How his uncle's as avery young man had travel from there to Montreal to work at his family's laundry in Montreal.  Chinese workers who were given the most treacherous jobs worked for half the pay of their white workers and also need to pay for their food, cooking and camping gear.  The railway was completed in 1885 with many reminding in Canada.