Lemon Grass Sizzling Saigon Crepes

Ingredients

Batter

• 2 cups rice flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 1/3 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, preferably Vietnamese Golden Bells brand
• 3 scallions, cut into thin rings

Filling

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
• 4 ounces pork shoulder or chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 12 medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 cups bean sprouts
• 2 cups sliced white mushrooms, lightly sautéed, drained

Instructions

Batter

1. Place the rice flour, coconut milk, water, turmeric, sugar, salt, curry powder and scallions in a bowl and stir well to blend. Set aside.

Filling

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add one-quarter each of the onion, the pork and the shrimp and stir until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
2. Whisk the batter well, and ladle about 2/3 cup into the pan. Swirl so the batter completely covers the surface.
3. Neatly pile about 1 cup bean sprouts and 1/2 cup mushrooms on one side of the crepe, closer to the center than the edge. Reduce the heat slightly, cover the pan and cook until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, about 5 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to low. uncover and cook until the crepe is crisp and chicken and shrimp are done, another 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Slip a spatula under the crepe to check on the bottom of the crepe. If it's not brown, cook another minute or two.
6. Lift the side of the crepe without the bean sprouts and mushrooms and fold it over the covered side of the crepe. Using a spatula, gently slide the crepe onto a large plate. Wipe the pan clean and make the remaining crepes in the same way. Be sure to oil the pan before beginning the next crepe.

Attribution

Mai Pham, Lemon Grass, Sacramento, California