YES. something Vietnamese featured in something popular and it’s not bloody
Phở
. It’s nigh miraculous. I attribute
Bánh xèo
to family gatherings where all my aunts are at each other’s throats, loudly yelling over the top of each other that their methodology is wrong. .. it’s a terrifying image to say the least.
Bánh xèo is labour intensive (and it doesn’t taste that heavveeennnly shh) with many components, a bean filling, beansprouts, pork belly, prawns, and an assortment of herbs such as mint and perilla tied off with nước chấm
.The coconut milk and herbs lend a fragrance to the dish that prompts you to effortlessly eat five. As this was a roll, I opted for sriracha as it’s more viscous and one bite will not send you on the immediate hunt for the tissue box. Speaking of, the pancake is to be practically paper thin, think of it like a crepe, the first, oh, fifty or so are fated to be fit for the garbage before you get the hang of it. This recipe itself is interesting. I feel like I can’t give an unbiased opinion as well, they’re things I grew up with and there’s too many associated memories with the ingredients, the That chicken is pure magic that just oozes with flavour from a single bite, I recommend marinating overnight!And the thighs, oh the highs, they seem to melt.. counteracted perfectly with the fragrant herbs, you forget that you’re eating something deepfried as it’s just so crisp and fresh, almost cleansing your insides with each bite. In fact, this almost feels like a cheat
Bánh xèo
, skipping past the other individual aspects of it, in order to create something fairly similar that can be bonus, eaten from your hands!
Sumire Karaage Roll Recipe
Marinated chicken (500g chicken thighs, 1 tblsp fresh grated ginger, 1 clove grated garlic, 2 tblsp soy sauce, 1 tblsp sake, 2 tsp sugar, ½ small apple and onion, several shakes of cayenne and black pepper, 3 finely sliced birds eye chilli, marinate for at least an hour, best overnight for godly flavour.)
3 tblsp sriracha, 1 tblsp fish sauce, 1 tblsp
nước chấm (this is more sour than spicy)
Slice chicken thighs into 2 cm pieces. Puree apple and onion together in a mini food processor or spice grinder, mix with rest of marinade ingredients;1 tblsp fresh grated ginger, 1 clove grated garlic, 2 tblsp soy sauce, 1 tblsp sake, 2 tsp sugar, several shakes of cayenne and black pepper, 3 finely sliced birds eye chilli, marinate for at least an hour
Mix 200g rice and plain flour, 1 tsp tumeric, pinch of salt, 250ml water, 200ml coconut milk until smooth. The batter should be very thin, almost watery. Set aside.
Dredge chicken pieces in potato starch, the charm is in their differing appearances.
Heat up oil to 180C. Fry until the chicken is brown, remove and raise the heat on the oil. Fry once more until golden 45s-1minute.
Mix 3 tblsp sirracha, 1 tblsp fish sauce and 1 tblsp
nước chấm
. Adjust seasoning.
Heat pan with sesame oil on high. Ladle batter into the pan, swirling so that it coats thinly. (I failed, I am a shame to my ancestors. Thank god, my aunt didn’t pop in for a surprise visit LOL.) Cook for a few minutes then flip and cook for 1 minute.
To serve, lay the
Bánh xèo
onto a plate and layer lettuce, perilla and mint. Coat the fried chicken in the sauce and top. to wrap, first with the bottom then the sides. Ta dahhh!
Enjoy!
Edit to add the process and ingredients list for the marinade.
