Crispy Pancakes — Vietnam

Ingredients

Pancakes:

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup coconut milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 scallion, sliced thin
• Oil (for cooking)

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham):

• 6 tablespoon warm water
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 red chili, minced

The Filling:

• 2 cup fresh bean sprouts
• ½ pound small shrimp, peeled
• 6 scallions, sliced
• Mint and cilantro for garnish

Preparation

For The Vietnamese Rice Flour Pancakes:

Mix all pancake batter ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. For the Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham), mix all the dipping sauce ingredients. Set aside.

To Prepare the Filling:

Preheat a 9 inch, non-stick skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the bean sprouts and cook until most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove the sprouts from the pan and set aside. Increase the heat to medium high. Add 1 tsp of oil to the skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes, until cooked through. Add the scallions and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Remove the mixture from the pan and set aside.

To Make the Pancakes:

Add ½ tsp of oil to the skillet (if it looks dry) and pour about ½ c of the batter into the hot pan, tilting the pan quickly to create an even layer of batter that coats the pan. Distribute some of the cooked filling and bean sprouts over half of the batter and cover the skillet for 2-3 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium, cooking until the bottom of the pancake is crispy, 3-5 minutes. Once the bottom of the pancake is golden and crispy, fold the pancake in half over the filling. Transfer to a plate and serve. Continue with the remaining batter and filling, adding a little oil as needed before pouring the batter.