Vegan Bahn Xeo
Recipe, styling and imagery Ellie Bullen // @elsas_wholesomelife
This delicious crispy Vietnamese pancake is infused with turmeric, studded with chunks of tofu and mushroom and served with an abundance of fresh herbs and my tangy nuoc cham. Banh xeo was my absolute favourite street-food dish when I was in Vietnam. To my delight, the banh xeo pancake batter doesn’t contain any egg; however, the pancake itself is usually filled with prawn and pork, so I decided to make a vegan version
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 generously
Pancake
175 g (1 cup) rice flour
125 ml (1⁄2 cup) coconut milk (shake well before opening the can)
1 teaspoon sea salt pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1 spring onion, finely sliced olive oil, for frying
100 g medium tofu, finely diced 2 shiitake mushrooms (or any mushrooms you have on hand), finely sliced
1⁄4 teaspoon five spice powder
180 g (2 cups) bean sprouts
200 g mustard greens or 8 cos lettuce leaves
1 cup mixed herbs, such as shiso, Vietnamese mint, Thai basil and coriander
4–6 rice paper sheets
80 ml (1⁄3 cup) Nuoc Cham
lime cheeks, to serve
METHOD
Whisk the rice flour, coconut milk, 375 ml (11⁄2 cups) of water, salt, pepper, turmeric, nutritional yeast flakes and green spring onion in a bowl. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the tofu, mushroom and five spice powder and fry for 2–3 minutes or until the mushroom and tofu are golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside
Place the bean sprouts in a bowl next to the stovetop. Prepare a serving plate with the mustard greens or lettuce, herbs and rice paper. You will also need a clean wet cloth to dampen the rice paper just before serving. Pour the nuoc cham into two small ramekins.
To make the pancakes, place a non-stick frying pan over medium– high heat and wait for it to get hot. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and toss in a few slices of the white spring onion, along with a spoonful of the tofu and mushroom. Allow to sizzle for 10 seconds, then pour in approximately 80 ml (1⁄3 cup) of batter, swirling the pan to evenly coat the base – you should immediately begin to see air bubbles.
Cover with a lid and cook for 30 seconds, then remove the lid and toss in a small handful of bean sprouts. Replace the lid and continue to cook for 1 minute or until the pancake edge is golden and crisp. Fold over one half of the pancake to form a semi-circle and fry for a further 15 seconds, then transfer to a plate.
The pancakes are best eaten straight away, so you may like to eat as you go along. To eat, moisten a rice paper sheet with a wet cloth, then tear a strip of it off and place a lettuce leaf on top. Tear off
a piece of the pancake and place it on the lettuce leaf, then top with a few herbs and a squeeze of lime. Use the rice paper sheet to wrap it all up and dunk in the tangy nuoc cham.Continue with the remaining batter and ingredients.
The Global Vegan by Ellie Bullen, is out now (Plum, RRP $34.99)