Banh Xeo Vietnamese Crepe

As i ran out of idea what to cook (getting bored of the same old dishes), i chance upon this recipe from the net while fishing for some Thai dishes.

Simple yet yummy. Give it a try?

Unfolding of the recipe from the net
makes 2 crepes

Crepes
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
pinch of salt
vegetable oil for frying

Filling
2 ounces small shrimp
2 ounces sliced roast pork
2 scallions, sliced
1 cups bean sprouts
.
You could also play around with the ingredients
Here my own twist
.
Filling
2 ounces small shrimp
2 ounces minced pork (seasoned with a little of each fish sauce, salt & pepper, soya sauce, chilli flakes, cumin)
1 stick of crabmeat
1/2 cup of corn

Wrap
leafy lettuce leaves
fresh herbs such as mint, Thai or Vietnamese basil (optional) and cilantro

dipping sauce (refer below)

Method
In a bowl mix the rice flour, water, turmeric and salt.

Heat a little oil in a 10 inch non-stick pan and cook the pork and shrimp. When cooked through, add the scallions. Add a little more oil, you may need a tablespoon or two to make the crepe very crisp and chewy. Pour in 1/2 cup batter on top of the fillings and tilt the pan to spread the batter into a crepe. Top with bean sprouts and cook for several minutes until the bottom of the crepe is beginning to turn brown and very crunchy. Fold the crepe in half and drain on paper towels. Serve with lettuce and herbs and dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Nuoc cham dipping sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon chili paste or a chopped red chili
2-3 Tablespoons fish sauce
1-2 T lime juice (or lemon juice)
1/4 cup water1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all the ingredients, taste and make any adjustments to your liking.

Walla, the dipping sauce

Semi-homemade Chee Cheong Fun with Prawns Filling

Is duper easy as it's a semi-homemade dish, all you need to have is a pack or more ready fresh rice rolls aka chee cheong fun in your refrigerator. Ready in less then half an hour.

To top off this semi-homemade dish with a even fuss free method, the help from the microwave.

Microwave cooked prawns
Ingredient for filling
Prawns

Method
1. Peel and devein the prawns
2. Wash and place in a bowl
3. Place in microwave for 2 mins, or until cooked.
4. Set aside to cool.

To make chee cheong fun mushroom soya sauce:
1 tbsps oil
4 slices ginger
2 tbsps sugar
55g (2 oz) mushroom soya sauce (no mushroom soya sauce? substitute it with normal soya sauce is equally yummy)
55ml (2 fl oz) water
1 tsp msg

Unfolding of how to make chee cheong fun with filling
Ingredient
A pack of ready fresh rice rolls

Something like this (you could get it from any chinese supermarket)

Method
1. Wash ready fresh rice rolls and put it in a container
2. Add oil to it
3. Place in microwave for 2-3 mins to soften it
4. Remove and soaked it in water for awhile (this help to unroll the rolls)
5. Work the soften rice roll in a plate or board, unroll each individual rolls and a line the prawns filling and roll it back.
6. Reheat the treated rice rolls with prawns filling back to the microwave for 1-2mins.
7. Pour the sauce over and serve.

Garnish with fried onion and chinese parsley.

If you like heat, add sambal chilli to it... yum yum

Play around the filling with charsiew or mushroom, any of your liking.

Pocket Wanton

Inspired by the Siam Cuisine deep fried stick wanton, i gave it my own twist, the mini pocket wanton.

Unfolding of the recipe

Ingredients:

Filling
1 tbsp chopped garlic
50g shredded carrot
50g shredded black mushrooms
50g soaked cellophane noodles also known as glass noodles (if you don't have, could also substitute with bee hoon... hehe)
100g shredded cabbage
200g shredded yam bean
200g minced pork

Filling seasoning
(A)
2 tbsps water
1/2 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsps sesame oil
1 tsp fish sauce
pinch of pepper
(B)
1 tsp shaoxing wine

Wrapper
A pack of square Wan Tons wraps (you could get it from any chinese supermarket)

Method
Filling
1. Stir fry chopped garlic in 2 tbsps of oil till fragrant. Add minced pork stir fry for awhile until pork is half cooked and add in shaoxing wine.
2. Add in yam beans, cabbage, mushrooms, cellophane noodles and carrot. Stir well. Add seasoning (A) and stir further.
3. Set it aside and cool.

To wrap
1. Prepare two small bowl of water, one clear and one starch. (clear for fingertips rinsing, as it maybe messy)
2. Moisten the top and side edges with starch water
3. Place teaspoonful of cooked filling in the center, fold it half and tuck in the filling and roll it into a round pocket
4. Press to seal the sides.

Walla
Deep fried it, yummy wantons in the waiting...

Note: Covered the remaining in damp kitchen towel or tea towel and stored in the refrigerator.

Savoury Steamed Rice Dumplings

Unfolding of the recipe

Ingredients

Filling

100g chinese dried radish (rinsed)

15g chopped garlic

4 tbsps cooking oil

1/4 tbsps sugar (or season according to your taste)

sesame seed (optional)

Dumpling

150g rice flour

1/2 tbsps caltrop starch

375ml water

1/4 tsp salt

Method

Filling

1. Heat oil. Put in the chinese dried radish and simmer for 40mins over low heat.

2. Add chopped garlic. Stir well and simmer till fragrant. Add sugar and stir well. Turn off the heat.

Dumpling

1. Bring some water with salt briefly. Turn off the heat.

2. Add rice flour and caltrop starch. Stir well. Pour the mixture into a mould. Steam for 15 to 20mins.

To serve

Place the filling on the dumplings. Serve and with sambal (optional)

Above serve 2 people.

Popiah Filling

Unfolding of the recipe

Ingredients

Filling
1 tbsp chopped garlic
50g shredded carrot
50g shredded bamboo shoot (don't have bamboo shoot, substitute it with more yam bean)
50g shredded black mushrooms
50g dried shrimps (soak for 10min and drain)
100g minced pork
100g shredded yam bean

Filling seasoning
2 tbsps water
2 tsps sesame oil
1/2 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt (according to your taste)
pinch of pepper

Method

Filling
1. Stir fry chopped garlic in 2 tbsps of oil till fragrant. Add fried shrimps and stir fry till fragrant. Add minced pork and stir well.

2. Add in yam beans, bamboo shoot, mushrooms and carrot. Stir well. Add seasoning and stir further.

3. Set it aside and cool.

Wrapped it with spring roll pastry (you could get it from any chinese supermarket), deep fry it and turns it into fried spring rolls aka fried popiah.

Fried Cai-Tou Guo aka Fried Carrot Cake

I was so damn happy!
Its taste so yummy then what i've expected. Yummio~

Cai tao guo for you???
I can cook it from scratch now. Yeah, baby!

Unfolding of e recipe:

Cake
350g white radish (shredded)
5 tbsps cooking oil
1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsps chopped dried shrimps (optional)(in my case i opt it out)

Seasoning
600ml water
1tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp salt
pinch of pepper

Thickening glaze
500ml water
350g rice flour
25g caltrop starch

Method
1. Heat oil. Stir fry garlic and dried shrimps until fragrant. Add shredded white radish and stir fry. Add seasoning and stir well. Stir in thickening glaze when it boils. Cook until the sauce thickens. Then pour the mixture into 8 x 8 x 2-inch mould. Steam for 45mins.


White or black carrot cake for you?
Here both recipes

Fried radish cake ingredients (white)
200g white radish cake (cut into cubes)
1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
1tbsp preserved dried radish (rinsed)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tbsp fish sauce
belacan chilli paste
spring onion
chinese parsley (optional)

Method
1. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a non-stick pan. Stir fry the chopped garlic and preserved dried radish till fragrant.
2. Add white radish cake and fish sauce. Stir fry for awhile. Add eggs and fry till both sides crispy. Sprinkle with spring onion. Serve with belacan chilli paste.
* add chinese parsley to enhance the flavour.



Fried Cai-tou guo ingredients (black)
200g white radish cake (cut into chucks)
1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp preserved dried radish (rinsed well)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tbsp hoi sin sauce
spring onion
*sweet dark soy sauce (personal i like my cai-tou guo to be very dark, so i add in sweet soy sauce to darker it)

Method
1. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a non-stick pan. Stir fry the chopped garlic and preserved dried radish till fragrant.
2. Add white radish cake and fish sauce. Stir fry for awhile. Stir in eggs. Stir fry till fragrant. Turn off the heat. Add hoi sin sauce and stir well. Garnish with spring onion. Serve.
* add chinese parsley to enhance the flavour