April 22

I am pretty sure these vietnamese savoury pancakes were on the original list of brainstorming that I did when I started this blog almost two years ago. I have made them countless times since, but I have always resisted putting them up here because they were always the biggest pain in the ass to make (not anymore, don’t worry!). They were the type of dinner that I always enjoyed eating but would spend my time cursing the kitchen gods (pancake making gods to be more precise) the whole way through. The pancakes would crack, fall apart, and I would end up eating a deconstructed version of the lovely meal you see above over and over again.

Recently though, I have finally cracked the code! There are three tricks to keep in mind when making these pancakes. First, the batter should be like a crepe batter. The original recipe always turned out too thick for some reason. It should be able to pour off of a spoon. Second, when you cook the pancakes, make sure that you spread a super thin layer of the batter around the pan. If it is too thick, the pancakes will certainly crack and break when you fold them over. Third, I like to cover the pan while I cook them to get avoid having to flip the pancakes. The pancakes are thin enough that they will cook super quickly, on both sides, as long as the pan is covered. Voila! Easy as that.

To me, these pancakes are just a little bit different and are a great vessel for all sorts of flavours, fillings, and sauces. It’s a pretty great dinner when you don’t have much in the fridge. The pancake batter is made with pantry staples and is also gluten free. I like to fill it with whatever vegetables I have, but I especially like using fresh, uncooked fare like shredded carrot, cucumber, sprouts and tons of fresh herbs like mint, thai basil or cilantro. Normally I beef it up with either some simply sautéed shrimp or tofu. I usually go with a dressing like this or something more peanut-y. Either way, it is a great, hearty dinner that’s easy and quick to pull together.