Vietnamese Crêpe

Design your own pancake.

Batter

4 1/4 oz rice flour

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp turmeric

3/4 cup tepid water mixed with 3/4 cup freshly boiled water

1/3 cup coconut milk

Filling

10 oz boneless chicken thigh, roughly chopped

8 oz shrimp (optional)

4 shiitake mushroom

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

sea salt

3 cups beansprouts

canola oil for cooking

1 head butter lettuce

handful of your favorite herbs (mint, basil, cilantro…)

1 cup nuoc cham

How to do it

Whisk together rice flour, cornstarch, salt, and turmeric. Whisk in water and coconut milk. Let the batter sit for 30-45 minutes to thicken. Whisk in more water 1 teaspoon at a time to thin batter as needed (should be the consistency of half & half).

Now make the filling. Divide the chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, and onion into six equal piles — one for each crêpe. Sprinkle each pile with a little salt. Now you’re gonna fry the crépes. The first one might suck but that’s okay.

Heat a couple teaspoons of oil in a medium non-stick skillet. When oil is hot, add one pile of filling and fry for 45 seconds on medium-high heat (until meat no longer looks raw). Before you add the batter, it’s helpful to keep the filling on one side of the pan (makes it easier to fold the crêpe later).

Stir up the batter and scoop about 1/3 cup into the skillet. Pick up skillet and swirl the batter to coat the bottom until it’s evenly distributed. Batter should sizzle upon contact (if it doesn’t, turn up yo heat).

Add a handful of sprouts on top of the side with the filling. Lower the heat slightly and cover the pan with a lid, leaving a small opening. Cook 2-3 minutes. Uncover and drizzle a little oil around the edges of the crêpe (this helps unstick the sides from the pan). Lower heat to medium-ish and cook another 3-4 minutes until crêpe is golden brown at the edges.

Use a spatula to fold the crêpe and slide it out of the pan (you can keep finished crêpes in the oven to keep them warm). Heat up some new oil and repeat the process to make five more beautiful crêpes (you’ll get better each time, we promise).

Eat crêpes by wrapping bite-sized pieces in lettuce, covering with herbs, and dipping in the nuoc cham sauce. It will be messy and delicious.