These tasty little Vietnamese pancakes are quick to prepare, extremely tasty, and healthy, vegan and gluten free. The contrasting flavours and textures with the soft coconutty pancakes wrapped around the punchy salad within, offer a fantastically colourful dish full of goodness.
Make the pancake batter: Whisk together the pancake batter ingredients (except the oil) in a large bowl or simply whizz them in a blender. Set aside for half an hour (or longer if you want to make ahead) while you make the sauce and the salad.
225 g brown or white rice flour, 70 g cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 400 ml coconut milk, 200 ml water
Make the salad: julienne the vegetables for the salad and pick the leaves from the herbs then roughly chop them. Put all the salad ingredients into a bowl.
2 carrots, 200 g red cabbage, 80 g rocket, 3 spring onions, 100 g mung bean sprouts, 40 g fresh herbs
Make the sauce: mix the ingredients together in a small jug.
40 ml lime juice, 40 ml vegetarian fish sauce, 40 ml water, 1 tablespoon tamari, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 red chilli, 3 garlic cloves
Make the pancakes: heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat. Then, once hot, ladle in a little batter into the pan and swirl it around to spread the batter over the whole of the pan into a circle shape (the amount you need depends on the size of the pan but you want it to be a fairly thin mixture covering the base). It should bubble a bit and then firm up enough to be able to use a spatula to gently peel the edges away and check the underside. Once it is golden on the underside, you can flip the pancake over and cook for a minute or two on the other side.
1 tablespoon flavourless oil
Place the cooked pancake on a plate lined with a layer of kitchen towel. Note that the first pancake is often just a tester and not as good as the rest! Adjust the pancake consistency or heat of the stove as needed (see notes).
While making each pancake, keep the cooked pancakes warm under a clean tea-towel or in a very low oven (80°C) with an up-turned plate on top to stop them from drying out.
When ready to serve, whisk up the sauce and toss a little of it into the salad then pour the rest into a dipping bowl. Place a warm pancake on each plate, with a spoonful of salad on top and a little spoonful of sauce, then fold the pancake over, sprinkle a bit more sauce on top and garnish with some coriander leaves to make it look pretty!
Notes
It's easiest to use a julienne slicer to prepare the vegetables but see the blog post for more knife skills tips to make this salad.
Check the consistency of the batter when you make the first pancake. It should be thin enough to spread easily across the base of the pan but thick enough to firm up and flip over when the bottom is cooked. If it tears easily, then it is too thin and needs a little more flour whisked into it. If it does not spread easily, then it is too thick and need a little water added to thin it down. It should be about the consistency of pouring cream.
All parts can be made ahead and kept separately in sealed containers in the fridge. Then when you’re ready to eat, you make the pancakes and toss a little sauce into the salad. See the blog post for more tips on making this dish ahead.