Mushroom and tofu bánh xèo
Welcome to To Vegetables, With Love, a celebration of a vegetable life, less ordinary. Find archived recipes on my recipe index.
My book Tenderheart is available from Books are Magic, Kitchen, Arts and Letters, Book Larder, Bold Fork Books and also here or here.
I write from the road this week. I’m currently in Paris with my daughter, on a long talked-about mother-daughter girls/graduation trip. I have been to Paris many times before but never has it felt more alive. The Fashion Weeks are winding down, making way for sport (two of my loves). Yes, the Paris 2024 Olympics are just weeks away, and while much of the city is still a building site for the temporary sporting venues, and it is overly crowded, the energy is buoyant. My daughter and I are both coincidentally learning French right now and while we had thought we were making progress, being here has confirmed that we have a long, long way to go ;) But even with out non-language skills, almost every Parisian we have encountered has been so very lovely and accommodating. I started visiting Paris in my Twenties and it wasn’t always this way - progress and acceptance is a wonderful thing. Vive le progrès.
I will share more of our Paris eats in the weeks to come. Stay tuned for that. Now for this week’s recipe.
Years ago, I had tried to make bánh xèo – Vietnamese sizzling crepes – but I failed. I like to think the recipe was a dud, but maybe it was me. I wasn’t always as confident or intuitive in the kitchen as I am today. I am a living example of practice makes closer-to-perfect.
I didn’t try to make bánh xèo again for many years. And because it is very hard to find vegetarian bánh xèo at Vietnamese restaurants, it meant that I didn’t get to eat this dish much at all. There was the time my dear friend Shirley and I dined at a lovely local Viet place in LA’s Chinatown. Shirley spoke to the owners in Vietnamese and asked if they could create a vegetarian bánh xèo for us. They looked baffled and then slightly amused. It took some explaining and persuading, but we eventually got our bánh xèo, sans pork / prawns, and it was well worth Shirley’s effort.
My bánh xèo fortunes changed a couple of years ago when I came across a recipe by cookbook author and food photographer Uyen Luu. The recipe, from her book Vietnamese, was written in a way that gave me the confidence to try again (that is the power of a well written recipe!). The first time I tried Uyen’s recipe, it was a smashing success. Every time since, it has never failed me. Now, homemade vegetarian banh xèo is a meal we are able to enjoy often at home. Thank you Uyen. You all should thank Uyen too because she agreed to let me use her bánh xèo batter for this week’s recipe (disclaimer, only the batter recipe is Uyen’s; the rest of the recipe and the sauce is mine).
Check out my reel to see how the bánh xèo is made:
Make sure you check out Uyen’s book Vietnamese, Vietnamese Vegetarian, and her upcoming book Quick and Easy Vietnamese which is released August 20 in USA!
🥦 My cookbook, Tenderheart is for cooking vegetables, all year round. Pick up your copy here. It is also mostly vegan (or vegan-izable) and gluten-free adaptable.
THIS WEEK’S RECIPE
Mushroom and tofu bánh xèo
© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love
Thank you to Uyen Luu and Hardie Grant for providing permission for the use of this bánh xèo batter recipe - © Vietnamese by Uyen Luu (Hardie Grant, £25), Photography © Uyen Luu.
Makes 12 crepes
200g (about 1 3/4 - 2 cups) rice flour (I use Erawan brand)
2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of sugar
1 x 400ml (13.5oz) can coconut milk (well shaken)
Filling
olive or neutral oil
200g (about 12) shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
425g (16oz) extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into thin strips
sea salt and black pepper
200g (7-ounces) bean sprouts
4 to 6 scallions, thinly sliced
Quick Sauce
2 tablespoons chili crisp
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
Greenery, for serving
Lettuce leaves
Coriander (cilantro)
Sliced red onion (optional)
Perilla or shiso leaves (optional)
To make the sauce, combine the chili crisp, rice vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce or tamari into a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, turmeric, salt and sugar and whisk to combine. Add the coconut milk and 400ml (about 1 3/4 cups) water - simply fill the coconut can with water for the correct amount - and whisk until completely smooth and lump free.
Each pancake is cooked individually so bear this in mind when you are making each pancake. It doesn’t really matter how much filling you add to each - you can have more or less, according to your preference which is why the amount for each pancake is not too prescriptive.
Heat a 25cm / 10-inch frying pan (skillet) on medium high heat - a hot pan is essential for a crispy pancake; if you are using a non-stick frying pan, heat for 1 minute; I use a cast iron skillet and I heat it for 3-4 minutes, until it’s very hot and. Into the hot pan, drizzle a little olive oil and then add a handful of mushrooms and a handful of tofu. Season with salt and pepper and toss for 2 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened. Now add 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan, immediately swirling it so that it coats the entire base. Add a small handful of beansprouts and scallions, and then cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottom is crispy. Using a wide spatula (I use a fish spatula), confidently fold the crepe in half. Set aside.
Continue cooking the remaining crepes. I usually line the crepes on a sheet pan and when they are all ready, pop them into a hot oven preheated to 220”C / 450˚F and warm for 5 minutes.
To eat, break a piece of crêpe onto a lettuce leaf, add the herbs and other optional greenery, roll it all up and dip it in the dipping sauce.
I’ve never heard of mushrooms and tofu bánh xèo. It looks super tasty! I’ll try it out and let you know.
oh my oh my oh my!