Banh Xeo (Vietnamese sizzling rice pancakes with crab and bbq'd pork

M

marc-in-seattle

Well-known member
I spent Friday through Sunday chained to a stove, helping my chef buddy Becky (local chef and culinary instructor, and author of the cookbook Good Fish, focused on simple to restaurant quality dishes made with sustainable seafood) cook for a Food Photography workshop. We made TONS of cool food, culminating in a thai and vietnamese feast Sunday night for all of the participants. The highlight (for me) of the meal was her Banh Xeo, which are vietnamese rice crepes filled with sauteed vegetables, sprouts, pork and seafood, wrapped in lettuce leaves, an assortment of fresh herbs, and drizzled with the ubiquitous Nuoc Cham sauce.

We had to modify her traditional recipe for some dietary restrictions, but I thought I'd share a link for my favorite version, which is going on the menu this weekend for some of my local food pals. This dish is really easy, and the presentation is gorgeous. Enjoy, and let me know if you try it!

http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/dandelion-sizzling-coconut-pancakes-with-spanner-crab-and-barbecue-pork.htm

 
Marc, these look fantastic. Do you make your own char siu?

I'd love to see your recipe if you have one you like.

 
Char siu

I don't, only because I haven't landed on a perfect (to my palate) recipe yet, and we live 5 minutes from Seattle's Chinatown. Does anyone have a favorite recipe?

 
Wait . . . you BUY your char siu? You don't make it? Tsk, tsk. Try this one:

This is the recipe I use for making Char Siu Bao.

Char Siu Pork

4 cloves GARLIC, mashed
3 Tbsp OYSTER SAUCE
3 Tbsp SHERRY
3 Tbsp FIVE SPICE POWDER
2 tsp SALT
8 lb lean PORK BUTT or LOIN
½” slice FRESH GINGER ROOT mashed
3 Tbsp SUGAR
1 Tbsp HOISIN SAUCE
10 Tbsp HONEY
2 tsp RED FOOD COLOR
l cup SOY SAUCE

Cut pork into strips 5 X 2 x 1½” . Mix all remaining ingredients well. Put pork pieces in marinade and let sit overnight.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place a cake cooling type rack in large roasting pan or on baking sheet with sides. Pour ½ cup water into pan. Remove pork from marinade and place on rack ½” apart and bake for 15 min. Turn pork and baste with marinade. Repeat two more times. Bake a total of 45 minutes.

Let cool. Slice at 45 degree angle into about ¼ inch thick slices.

 
Here's my recipe I posted back in '98 for cha siew pork

REC for marinade for Cha Siew Pork! >>

I followed my cook around the kitchen in
Kuala Lumpur for this one. You can use the
thin sliced meat for fried rice or stir fry
dishes, or to make yummy cha siew pao
(steamed pork buns).

For a 5 pound pork loin:

Cut the meat into strips 2"x2" and as long as
you like (I cut mine about 6" long)
Marinate for 24 hours in the following:

10 oz granulated sugar
3 tsp salt
2T sesame oil
2T dark, thick soy sauce
3T light soy sauce
Red food coloring (traditional, but optional)

Note: If you can't find the thick soy sauce,
substitute hoisin sauce. The flavor is a
little different, but still delicious!

Grill the meat on racks over charcoal,
basting frequently until the meat is firm and
well done. I arrange the coals around a drip
pan so the marinade doesn't drip into the
fire. If you have the small rib racks, you
can stand the meat in them so it is easy to
baste. Watch it carefully, as the sugar in
the marinade will burn easily.

Watch your plate afterwards! My family has
become rather adept at cha siew pork theft!

To serve the meat, slice thinly for stir-fry dishes. To freeze, leave in strips and slice when you use it.

If you would like the method for the cha siew
pork buns, let me know.

 
Marc, looks outstanding, you always are making the most amazing dishes...

I'm going to have to start a specific "Marc's Recipes Folder" to pull out when I want to spend the weekend in the kitchen for a special dinner.

 
Thanks

Thanks, Steve. I'll give it a go this weekend. I've tended to steer away from the marinades with Hoisin, preferring a recipe I used to use (and lost) involving fermented red bean curd--it's an authentic way of doing it but I havent found a recipe I just love. I trust your palate in all things, and will let you know how this goes.

 
Too big a subject to discuss here (ahem) . . .

Haven't made bao in a long time but I DO remember using a dough made of yeast and cornstarch.

RE the fermented bean paste, hoisin is pretty close IMHO but why don't you try and equivalent amount of the paste and see how it rolls?

 
I'll do that...

but I'm trying yours as written first. I'll definitely let you know what I think.

When it rocks, I'll take full credit. If it doesn't, I will throw you under the bus.

That's what friends are for. smileys/wink.gif

 
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