Vietnamese crepe with Thai filling ‘ขนมเบื้องญวน’

Today our presentation is a dish from Vietnam.  Thailand and Vietnam being Neighbors and share much  culture and history. ‘Vietnam crepe’ arrived in Siam (Thailand) with Vietnamese prisoners captured during the Siam – Vietnam War.  The crepe pastry is made ​​from rice flour, water and eggs to thicken. Spoon batter into the pan, spread and fold.

‘Vietnamese Crepe’ has been introduced into Thailand where it is known as ‘khanom beuang yuan, where ‘yuan’ is the Thai word for “Vietnamese”  The recipe is included grated coconut meat in the filling inside the thin crispy crepe and always accompany with cucumber relish.

You may like this recipe with an extra thin crepe and the filling modified by adding homemade coconut meat grated until fine. This is then saute with other ingredients. The taste  starts with the  balance of sweet and salt. This recipe can use a whole coconut : half for filling and second half for homemade coconut medium.

Batter

2 cups Rice flour

2 cup of Medium coconut milk (Kati) Use half of crack coconut home made.  (Medium coconut milk is the mixture of one cup of coconut cream and one cup of coconut milk) or use a coconut in carton box if you not have a time

2 1/2 cups Clear lime stone water  (This is 2 Tbsp of Red Lime stone paste add 3 cups of clean water  then stir and let the water set clear then use clear part) Please find out at Asian store near your home

1 Tsp Turmeric powder

1 Egg (Prefer duck egg) Our presentation today cannot find the duck egg so I use chicken egg

a pinch of sea salt

Little note:

• This recipe that you can probably make about 30-40 pieces of thin crepe with small pan. 
• If your lime stone water did not let it set until clear it will turn your batter to be orange – pink colour that look different. 

Thai Filling 

3/4 cup Fresh Shrimps, peeled and coarsely chopped

3/4 cup Sweet pickled turnip, finely chopped

1 cup  Grated coconut meat, This recipe use half coconut and grate with food processor until fine.

1/2 cup  Firm tofu, small size and fry until crispy, Today I use medium – firm but that’s fine

1 cup  Bean sprouts, if you like to do home grown sprouts here

1 tsp  Coriander roots, fine chopped (Our presentation today use coriander stems because the roots is not available here)

1 tsp  Garlic, fine chopped

1 tsp  Black pepper, ground

1 tsp  Salt

4 1/2 Tsp Granulated sugar

1/2 Tsp Spring onion (Scallion) fine chopped

1-2 Tbsp Cooking oil

Garnish and presentation

: coriander leaves, Turnip flowers carved in carnation (I use today), Thai sweet basil, Cucumber relish, Banana leaves, green lettuce

Preparation

1. Preparation for filling

Heat a frying pan use medium-high heat, add cooking oil and fry coriander roots, garlic, shrimps until fragrant. Add pickled turnip and stir well. Add bean sprouts, grated coconut meat then season with salt, sugar, black pepper and stir until ingredients combine.

Taste for the flavours before add crispy tofu, spring onion. The final taste of the filling should be the balance with sweet and salt and of course it combine as well with coconut meat.

Use half of coconut meat, peel brown skin off

use food processor blend half of coconut meat get one cup

Deep fried firm tofu

Fine chopped sweet pickled turnip.

Coarsely chopped shrimps or prawns

The filling is finished

The taste is chewy coconut meat with a balance of sweet and salt

2. Preparation for batter,  In a mixing bowl, add rice flour then make a well, crack one egg and knead gently until it combine well. Add coconut medium and combine together with flour. Add salt and turmeric and whisk until combine. Add lime stone water to the mixture and strain through a strainer.

Coconut medium = 1 cup of coconut cream + 1 cup of coconut milk

clear lime stone water

turmeric powder

Batter ingredients

3. Making Crepe and add filling in

Heat a Teflon pan at medium heat until hot. Pour 1 small ladle of batter and move batter quick around like to make crape.  Brush little cooking oil around the crape. Let the crepe cook and bottom is cook. Add the filling 2-3 Tbsp with extra fresh sprouts and sprinkle with fine slices spring onion. Fold the crepe carefully and transfer to a plate.

Note: I use taflon pan diameter 8 inches to control the size. If this is your first time to try this batter, you may need a few times to practice with the pan until you got smooth thin round shape. You may need to roll the pan but the more you practice the more your professional are.

Use a small ladle

Add the filling

classic fold

square fold

4. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with Cucumber relish (Check the recipe here)

Turnip carving & sweet basil

cucumber relish

Food photographs by Luksana