Banh xeo (Vietnamese savoury crepes)

For ➍
200 g boneless pork loin
16 medium shrimps
8 fresh coriander stems
8 fresh basil sprigs
8 fresh mint sprigs
90 g rice flour
12,5 cl water
10 cl coconut milk
½ ts turmeric (or curry powder)
1 ts sugar
½ ts salt
1 green onion, chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
60 g bean sprouts
½ ts sesame oil
1 tbs vegetable oil
red leaf lettuce
4 small bowls of nuoc cham dipping sauce*

Place pork loin in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer until cooked through, about 20 m.

Allow pork to cool. Cut into tiny strips.

Shell and devein shrimps. Slice each one in half lengthwise.

Rinse herbs and drain. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, prepare batter by mixing rice flour, water, coconut milk, turmeric or curry powder, salt, and green onion until smooth.

Divide pork, shrimp, onion, and bean sprouts into 5 separate little piles for easy access during cooking.

Heat a little sesame oil in non-stick frying pan until hot.

Cook pork, shrimp and onion until it starts to sizzle.

Pour a little vegetable oil in a pan. When almost smoking, add 2 tbs of batter and bake for 2-3 m. Put a small pile of the cooked mixture on one half of the crepe. Place one pile of bean sprouts towards the center of the crepe. Fold the other half of the crepe over the first.

Transfer the crepe to a serving platter.

Repeat process with rest of batter and ingredients.

Do not cover the cooked crepes or stack them, or they will lose their crispness.

To serve, place one crepe on a plate with some lettuce leaves, herbs and a small bowl of nuoc cham. The person cuts a portion of crepe, wraps it in a leaf of lettuce with some herbs, and dips it in the sauce. Serve with a cold blond lager beer.

*Use soy sauce instead.

Banh xeo are very popular in South East Asia. Depending on the region, the recipe might vary a little bit, even in Vietnam. This recipe is the southern variant. The Kampuchean version is called banh chiao. Banh is a whole category of small food items, some of them steamed cakes, but always filled in some way or another, even resulting in some (very American) Viet style pork sandwiches.

Nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce)

For ➍
1 part lime or lemon juice, or vinegar
1 part fish sauce, nuoc mam
1 part sugar
2 parts water (or 1 part water, 1 part lime or lemon juice)
optionally minced garlic, chopped or minced serrano peppers
shredded carrot, to taste

Mix water or juice with sugar. Heat to melt the sugar.

Then cool it.

Adjust the taste by adding lime juice, then add the fish sauce, then other ingredients.

The taste of nuoc cham depends on the ingredients, but should mix sweet and sour, a little hot and tasty, sometimes hot. You can vary the taste by lightly changing quantities of ingredients. It can be served with several Vietnamese dishes like banh xeo, or used as a rather sharp condiment. This preparation will hold for a week, when refrigerated.

Roasted Brussels sprouts

For ➍
500 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed & halved
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs unsalted butter
50 g crisp rice cereal or plain rice**
1 fresh red Thai chili, thinly sliced crosswise*
coriander sprigs*
mint leaves, torn*
scallions, chopped*

Preheat oven to 220°C with rack in upper third.
Toss Brussels sprouts with oil. Arrange them, cut sides down, in a shallow baking pan. Roast, without turning, until outer leaves are tender and dark brown, 30 to 35 m.
Add butter and toss to coat.
For the Vietnamese dressing, stir together all ingredients until sugar has dissolved. Or make a quick dressing by mixing 2 tbs of fish sauce, 1 tbs of clear syrup or honey and 1 tbs of water. Add other ingredients according to taste.
Prepare rice with a little oil in skillet until puffed. When using plain rice, cook first, then bake the rice in a skillet for 3 m.
Put Brussels sprouts in a serving bowl, then toss with just enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle with puffed rice and serve remaining dressing on the side. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, torn mint leaves and chopped scallions.
Serve as a starter or as a side dish with Asian-style roasted beef.

*Garnish ingredients.
**Replace with chopped and roasted nuts.

The Brussels sprout is originally a wild cabbage, cultivated for its small leafy green buds, which resemble miniature cabbages. Their ancestors were likely cultivated in ancient Rome, and appeared around 1200 AD in the duchy of Brabant, around Brussels. During the 16th century they became popular in the southern Netherlands, and spread throughout Northern Europe. In 1800 they were cultivated in the USA for the first time.
Read a Western modern roasted Brussels sprouts recipe.
Read a tip on cooking Brussels sprouts.

Vietnamese dressing

For ➍
2 tbs (6 cl) (Thai) fish sauce
2 tbs water
50 g sugar
1 tbs finely chopped mint
1 tbs finely chopped coriander stems
½ garlic clove, minced

Stir together all dressing ingredients until sugar has dissolved.

This Vietnamese-style dressing or sauce works well with stirred vegetables (like roasted Brussels sprouts) or with fried fish. Adjust quantities.