Crisp rice pancake with prawn and pork stuffing

Name: Crisp rice pancake with prawn and pork stuffing
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4-6 as a part of a shared meal
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1/2 cup rice flour; 1 1/2 tbsp plain flour; 1/2 tsp sea salt; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 2/3 cup coconut cream; 2/3 cup chilled soda water

February 2, 2015

Dinner adventure: Crisp rice pancakes with your choice of filling.William Meppem

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes: 4-6 as a part of a shared meal

Vietnamese wraps make a table-side choose-your-own-adventure: serve up a few fab fillings and let guests do the rest. DIY-delicious.

Ingredients

For the crepes

1/2 cup rice flour
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
2/3 cup coconut cream
2/3 cup chilled soda water

For the nuoc cham dipping sauce

2 fresh long red chillies, de-seeded
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp caster sugar
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

For the combination stuffing

12 raw king prawns, peeled, tails intact
200g barbecue pork
6 tbsp peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup bean sprouts
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup snow pea leaves
baby cos and red oak lettuce leaves
handful of mint leaves
handful of coriander leaves

Method

For the crepe batter, sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, add the liquids and whisk until a smooth batter forms.
For the nuoc cham, chop and pound the chillies, garlic and sugar to a paste using a mortar and pestle. Stir in the liquids and check the balance of flavours.
Halve the prawns and slice the pork into bite-sized pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Add half the garlic and raw prawns and pan-fry until prawns are just cooked. Remove from pan and do the same with the pork.
Clean the pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until almost smoking. Add a ladleful of batter and tilt the pan to spread the mixture thinly around the pan. As the crepe starts to set, add some spring onions, prawns, pork, bean sprouts and snow pea leaves, then fold the crepe in half, over itself. Leave on the heat for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and allow pancake to warm through for another minute. Repeat with remaining oil and mixture.
Serve pancakes on a platter with lettuce, herbs and a bowl of nuoc cham. Cut up the pancake at the table, wrap a piece in a lettuce leaf with some herbs, then dip it into the sauce before eating.

Photography by William Meppem. Styling by Hannah Meppem. Food preparation by Alice Story.