Mini crispy rice pancakes (banh khot)

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Stir 200 g rice flour with 20 g tapioca starch, 2 g ground turmeric, 5 g granulated sugar and a pinch of salt, then pour in 200 g coconut milk and 250 g water and whisk until smooth. Finally, add 20 g finely sliced scallions. Banh khot batter is thicker than banh xeo batter so the centers stay soft while the bottoms turn crisp. The batter is ready when it is as thick as thin cream and coats a spoon in a thin layer.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Let the batter rest for about an hour, then stir it thoroughly again right before you start frying. Resting lets the rice flour swell, so the pancakes cook up smooth with evenly crisp bottoms. The batter is ready when it flows off the lifted whisk in an unbroken ribbon.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Peel 250 g fresh shrimp, leaving the tails on if you like, devein them and pat them dry with paper towels. Dry shrimp keep the oil from spattering and stick firmly to the pancakes as they cook. The shrimp are ready when the surface is dry with no water clinging to it.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Set the banh khot pan over medium heat, add about half a teaspoon of frying oil (to taste) to each well and wait for it to heat up. The pan must be very hot so the batter sizzles on contact and forms a crisp golden bottom. The pan is ready when the oil in the wells shimmers and gives off a thin wisp of smoke.

   Medium heat.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Fill each well about eighty percent full with batter, set a shrimp in the center, cover for about three minutes, then uncover and fry for about three more minutes until the bottoms are crisp. Covering lets the steam cook the shrimp and the tops, while frying uncovered dries out the bottoms and makes them crunchy. They are done when the edges are golden brown and pull away from the pan, and a spoon lifts each one to reveal a firm, crisp bottom.

   Suggested time: about 6 minutes. Medium heat.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Mix 30 g fish sauce with 30 g granulated sugar and 90 g warm water, stir until dissolved, then add 15 g lime juice and 5 g finely minced garlic. The tang of lime keeps the rich pancakes from feeling heavy. The sauce is ready when it is clear, gently sweet and fragrant with garlic.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Arrange the pancakes on a plate and serve with 150 g mixed fresh herbs and greens, such as lettuce, Vietnamese coriander and fish mint, plus a bowl of the fish sauce. Banh khot cool down very quickly, so eat them as soon as each batch comes out to keep them crisp. They are ready when the bottoms are still crackling crisp and the shrimp on top are pinkish orange.

   Mark step 7 as done