My miniature Banh Khot
Before having my child, the younger me used to eat an entire super-size banh xeo all by myself at least once a week. I remember that my husband always said... Please don't tell me that you want to Thanh Ha again...
Yes, please!!! I usually replied with lots of nods. My husband will eventually said ok but reluctantly to me. I'm amazed knowing how persuasive I was. LOL!
We usually go to Thanh Tam (which is Thanh Ha with no number before changing its name) and Thanh Ha 2 at Richmond for these pancakes. Believe me! I have been these restaurants so often that even the staffs know me.
After having my child, we have not been going these restaurants as often as before because my husband and son (being two against one) have decided to go other restaurants rather than always Thanh Tan and Thanh Ha 2. Maybe I have lost my persuasive power or my son has more persuasive power than me? Or maybe I have changed to be extra accommodating? Hmmm... I have got myself thinking?
Even we have not been to Thanh Tam as often, my son and I are still sharing the same liking for banh xeo and banh khot. Due to the presence of the little male me, I don't get to eat the entire super-size banh xeo all by myself anymore. Am I sad that I can't have enough pancakes to eat? Not really! ... because I can cook these now.
Try this recipe. Bet that you will be surprised that you can cook these too!!! The recipe that I'm using is mostly adapted from SBS Food and Legal Nomads. Both recipes are very similar but missing out a lot of details. After a few trial and errors, I have begin to get the hang of cooking these pancakes and like to share a few tips and tricks...
"You need Kang-Hu (meaning skills in Hokkien) to cook crispy pancakes..." This is what my husband says and he thinks that he can cook better than me... LOL!
Use a squeezy sauce bottle!
- Most importantly, the pancakes have to be THIN in order to be crispy!!! To do, the pan has to be HOT and oily. The method of pouring the batter onto the hot pan can be tricky! I find the miniatures one are actually easier to cook by pouring the batter around the edges of each indentation using a squeezy sauce bottle.
- The consistency of the batter can be equally important and I would suggest making the batter with lots of saturated coconut fat... LOL! Yup! Use coconut cream if you can! The batter has to be smooth, creamy, and runny but NOT TOO THICK!
- Cook and serve immediately!!! This means that I have to be "fast-legs-fast-hands"... LOL! (meaning doing things quickly in Hokkien term) The pancake batter can dry out easily if it is not covered and the pancakes will lose their crunch if they are not consumed immediately
Me NO Kang-Hu? ok ok... I must admit that I was stupid at first preparing the full amount of this pancake batter believing that the SBS Food recipe says that it makes 8 but it should be serving 8!!! With the large amount of batter, I was cooking these pancakes like crazy...
Eventually, I gave up after cooking at least five batches of these pancakes. What can I do with the leftover batter? I can't store it as it dries out easily and form yellow flakes everywhere... Idea! My husband and I had a competition to see who can cook crisper super-sized banh xeo with the excess batter. Guess what? I lost! Me NO Kang-Hu?!!! Yup! I have to admit. I'm only good enough to cook these miniature ones... LOL!
Before cooking the pancakes, these are preparation works that I had to do...
The beans were soaked one day ahead.
The dried shrimp powder can be cooked a few days in advance.
Getting the dipping sauce ready just before cooking the pancakes.
Now this is how I cooked the pancakes...
Mixing the batter the right consistency.
If you can move the pancakes off the mould, this means that they are almost ready!
Now, serve these IMMEDIATELY!
Wait! Not to forget to add this dried shrimp powder!
Crunch!
Here is the recipe that I have adapted from SBS Food and Legal Nomads, adding the details and tricks that I have learned.
Serve 8
Please use half or quarter of this recipe if you are not making these pancakes to sell or serve 8-10!!!
For the pancakes:
500g rice flour100g glutinous rice flour
270g coconut cream (I used Ayam)
270g coconut milk (regular not fat reduced)
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chicken stock powder, optional
1 1/2 cup boiling water
Topping:
3-4 stalks green onion (shallot), finely chopped200g fresh prawns, shelled and deveined, cut into 1-2 cm pieces
150g mung beans, soaked until soft, drained and steamed
To cook:
vegetable oilbanh khot pan (you can use takoyaki pan, Aebleskiver pan or poffertjes pan)
For the dipping sauce (nuoc cham):
2 tbsp fish saucejuice of 1-2 limes depending on their size
1 carrot, grated
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp sugar, or more if you wish
For the powdered shrimp topping:
100g dried shrimp1 tsp annato oil or 1 tsp oil plus 1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp fish sauce
lettuce leaves, Vietnamese mint or basil, to serve
To prepare the shrimp topping: Grind dried shrimp in a food processor in batches - I prefer not to soak the dried shrimp in water as I find it easier to grind them finely in small batches with no moisture. Heat oil in a nonstick pan with low heat. Add paprika and ground shrimp. Stir to develop consistent reddish color. Add fish sauce and cook until mixture is dry. Set aside for later use.
To make the dipping sauce: Combine all the dipping sauce ingredients together.
To make the pancake batter: Mix the two rice flours and all dry ingredients. Add the coconut cream and coconut milk into the flour mixture. Stir to combine. Add boiling water gradually and mix thoroughly to form a smooth and runny (NOT too thick) paste.
Heat the banh khot mold over high heat, and grease with generous amount of vegetable oil. Fill a squeezy sauce bottle with pancake batter. Squeeze batter onto each indentation from the edges in circular motions until each indentation is well covered with batter. Add 1 piece of prawn, green onions and 1 tbsp mung beans into each pancake. Allow the pancakes to cook for 5-6 mins or until the edges become crisp and also the prawn is cooked. At this stage, the pancakes should be easily removed from the pan and their bottom are nicely browned and golden.
Serve pancakes with lettuce, mint, powder shrimp topping and dipping sauce.
Happy Cooking
Please support me and like me at Facebook...This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favorite DIY and me, Bake for Happy Kids and hosted by Jess from Bakericious at this post
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