In preparing Vietnamese crepes, it is important that all
ingredients are ready before cooking begins.
Flour mixture
3/4 cup rice soaked overnight in 2 cups water
5 ounces sifted wheat flour
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped green onion
Ingredients to be added to four mixture
2/3 cup chicken breast cut into small pieces
2/3 cup medium size uncooked shrimp
2/3 cup minced pork meat
1 thinly sliced large onion
Crepe stuffing
2 lbs bean sprouts
1/2 cup dry mashed green beans (mung beans). The green beans
are a kind of small, round and very hard beans with green colors as they are
named. To make bean sprouts we use the whole green beans, while the mashed
ones are used in cooking. Both of them are available at Chinese grocery
stores.
Vegetables to be served with crepes
2 large heads of bib lettuce
1 cup seasoned fish sauce
Soak dry green beans in hot water for 3 hours. Rub the beans
to remove the peels and rinse well to pour them off. Cook peeled beans with
1 cup water until done, (about 1 hour) and the water has evaporated. These
may be cooked in advance and kept in the refrigerator.
To prepare the flour mixture, wash rice (which has been soaked overnight in
water) with cold water 3 times, or until the water in an electric blender in
the wheat flour and rice mixture gradually. Beat until the paste is smooth.
Add sugar, salt, curry powder, and 3 cups of water. Strain through fine
strainer, and add chopped green onion. The flour mixture if now ready for
crepe cooking.
We usually prepare and serve initially 2 large crepes. A coolie hat pan is
used to make a large crepe of 9 to 10" diameter. (A Teflon sauce pan
may be substituted). Smaller crepes of 5 to 6" diameter may be prepared
similarly.
For a large crepe: Heat the pan, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Sauté 1
teaspoon of each of the following ingredients for 5 min: onion, meat, shrimp
and mushrooms. Add 1/2 cup of the flour mixture, immediately swish it around
so as to have a thin cake.
Sprinkle the cake with 2 teaspoons cooked green beans. Cover and cook for 5
min, then add 1/2 cup bean sprouts. Cook covered another 5 min. take off the
cover, fold the crepe in half and remove from pan.
Begin preparing the second crepe when green beans are added to the first.
This recipe makes to 14 to 15 crepes and serves 6 persons.
Vietnamese crepes should be served with bib lettuce, mint, basil and
seasoned fish sauce. Each diner cuts a small piece of crepe, adds mint and basil
leaves, warps it in a lettuce leaf and dips it into seasoned fish sauce.
