Bánh khọt - Vietnamese Mini Pancakes
Banh khot are mini-sized rice pancakes that are fried and rolled up with fresh mustard greens, herbs, and sweet picked carrots daikon then dipped in spicy garlicky fish sauce. Banh khot is the little sister to banh xeo in my opinion. The pancake batter is basically the same which consists of rice flour, coconut milk, club soda and turmeric. They are eaten using a similar technique of wrapping the pancakes in the greens of your choice or rice paper rolls. There is the sizzling sound it makes when you cook the batter. Banh khot is a kid friendly dish compare to banh xeo and if you want to introduce kids to mustard greens and herbs this is the perfect dish to try!
Ingredients
Batter
1 package of banh khot pre-made flour or banh xeo pre-made flour will work too - can be bought at any Asian grocery store
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 can coconut cream (14 oz / 400 ml)
1 can of club soda (use the empty can of coconut cream from above to measure)
1 tsp salt
green onions, chopped
Toppings
1 lb shrimp without heads sized, cleaned and de-veined
1/4 cup of steamed mung beans optional
1 cup of dried shrimp
Vegetables
1 head mustard greens (caỉ xanh) - take out the stems and save that for soup!
1 bunch thai basil
pickled carrots and daikon - click here for recipe
Dipping sauce
Vietnamese fish sauce - equal parts of sugar, vinegar, water and fish sauce
garlic, chopped
chili, chopped
lemonade or fresh lime juice - optional
Instructions
Prepare Batter
Combine all batter ingredients except for the green onions in a large bowl for at least 30 minutes, or longer. Add scallions and 1 tbsp of club soda only right before cooking and mix well.
Prepare toppings
Soak mung beans in water until soft and steam for 30 minutes
clean and de-vein the shrimps
Make the shrimp powder/dust: soak dry shrimps in water for one hour, blend in the food processor and stir-fried until dry.
Making the Bánh khọt/pancakes
You will need a cast iron banh khot pan click link here to purchase. This pan is also available at any Vietnamese supermarket stores in the San Jose, CA area.
On medium-high heat add oil to each mold of the pan
Pour the batter into each mold ~ 2/3 full,. you should hear the magic of the sizzling sound.cover and cook for about 3- 5 minutes.
Top each pancake with mung beans and fresh shrimp.
Cover the cook for one minute
Remove the cover and flip the cake on the side. This will allow for any excess batter to drip down and cook. Re-cover and let that cook for another minute.
Remove the cover and let it cook for another minute. Cooking complete when the sides of the pancakes are crispy and batter has fully set and dry. (Usually an additional 3-5 minutes, depending on heat of the stove.)
Top each of the pancakes with pickled vegetables, herbs and dried shrimp powder. Wrap them in mustard greens, dunk and enjoy! You can also wrap everything in a moist rice paper, roll ‘em dunk!
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
