Vietnamese Pancakes with beansprouts and spring onions Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
4 onions, finely sliced (optional)
20 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps sliced
1 small packet beansprouts, trimmed
1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
corn or peanut oil, for frying
coconut pancakes
75 g rice flour
35 g cornflour
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon sugar
8 spring onions (white and green), sliced diagonally crossways
50 ml coconut milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon fish sauce, such as nuoc mam

TO SERVE
lettuce leaves
sprigs of Asian mint or basil
coriander sprigs (optional)
nuoc cham or chilli dipping sauce
 
WHAT TO DO
To make the pancakes, mix the two flours, turmeric, sugar and spring onions in a bowl.  Mix the coconut milk, eggs and fish sauce in a small jug, then gradually stir into the flour mixture to form a smooth batter.  Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok, add the onions, if using, and stir-fry until soft and golden.  Remove from the wok with a slotted spoon and reserve.
Add 1 teaspoon oil to the wok, swirl around to coat the surface and heat well.   Pour a quarter of the batter into the wok and swirl it about to cover the surface thinly.  Put a quarter of the mushrooms, beansprouts, chilli and onions (if using) in the middle of the pancake.  Cover with a lid, turn the heat to the lowest possible and cook for about 3 minutes or until the filling is heated through.  Using a spatula, fold the pancake in half like a French omelette, transfer to a serving plate and keep it hot.  Repeat until you have 4 pancakes.
Serve immediately with a separate plate of lettuce leaves, mint or basil, and coriander if using.  Each person puts a piece of the pancake in a lettuce leaf, adds sprigs of mint, basil or coriander, rolls up the leaf and eats it either plain or dipped into nuoc cham or chilli dipping sauce.

Nuoc cham dipping sauce
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red chilli, cored and sliced
1 tablespoon caster sugar
½ lime, deseeded
1½ tablespoons fish sauce, preferably Vietnamese nuoc mam

To make nuoc cham, work the garlic, chilli and sugar to a puree in a spice grinder.  Add the lime flesh and juice and puree again.  Transfer to a serving bowl, add about 4 tablespoons water and the fish sauce, blend well and set aside.

mmm, another winner from: Elsa Petersen-Schepelern, 1998, Wok: Dishes from China, Japan and South-east Asia