Banh Canh Cua Uyen Thy Recipes

BANH XEO (VIETNAMESE CREPES)

Steps:

• Mix rice flour, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and turmeric together in a large bowl. Beat in coconut milk to make a thick batter. Slowly beat in water until batter is the consistency of a thin crepe batter.
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant but not browning, 1 to 2 minutes. Add shrimp; saute until cooked through and opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with fish sauce and salt. Transfer filling to a bowl.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Wipe out skillet and reheat over medium heat. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon oil. Stir crepe batter and pour 1/2 cup into the hot skillet, swirling to coat the bottom. Lay 3 or 4 of the cooked shrimp on the bottom half of the crepe. Top with a small handful of bean sprouts. Cook until batter looks set and edges start to brown, about 1 minute. Fold crepe over and slide onto an oven-safe plate.
• Place crepe in the preheated oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter and filling.
• Serve lettuce leaves alongside filled crepes. Break off pieces of crepe and roll up in lettuce leaves to eat.

BANH BAO

Steps:

• Mix pork, shallots, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and soy sauce together in a large bowl. Let mixture marinate in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes.
• Combine self-rising flour, milk, and sugar in another large bowl; knead until dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Cover dough with cheesecloth; let rest, about 5 minutes.
• Divide dough into 18 balls. Roll out each ball into a circle with a rolling pin on a floured work surface. Place a spoonful of the pork mixture in the center; top with 2 sausage slices and an egg quarter. Gather the edges of each circle together like a coin purse; twist and pinch to seal the bun.
• Cut waxed paper into eighteen 2-inch squares. Place each bun on a waxed paper square. Arrange 1 inch apart in a steamer; cover with lid.
• Steam buns until puffed up, about 30 minutes.

BANH CANH NOODLE (HOMEMADE)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, mix the rice flour, tapioca starch, and salt with 1 cup boiling, hot water at a low speed. Add the vegetable oil and continue mixing on low.
• Coat your work surface and rolling pin with rice flour when working with the dough to keep it from sticking. Knead the dough well until dough is soft and non-sticky.
• Sprinkle some additional flour on the working surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to a thickness of ¼ inch.
• If you are not able to stretch the dough or it's breaking off in chunks, the water was not hot enough. If this happens to you, microwave the dough for 1-2 minutes on high to improve elasticity.
• Once stretched, cut the dough into 3-inch strips.

BANH CANH CUA (CRAB TAPIOCA NOODLE SOUP)

Steps:

• Add the pork hoc to the stock and cook it on a low-medium heat.
• Bring the stock to a gentle simmer, then grill the dried squid and put them into the broth.
• Cut up the jicama and daikon into large chunks.
• Turn up the heat to high and add the jicama, daikon and dehydrated scallops into the soup.
• After 40 minutes of cooking or when soft, take the hoc pieces out and set aside.Note: If you're using boneless pork, they can be sliced thinly to be used as a topping.
• Pour 1 tbsp oil into a small pan and turn the heat to low. Add the annatto seeds in and cook for 1 minute or until its color begins to change. Note: You're looking for the oil to turn red, which will color the Banh Canh Cua broth.
• Use a sieve to strain the annatto-infused oil into the broth, then season with salt, rock sugar, fish sauce and chicken bouillon powder.
• Heat up a small pan on medium heat and brown the garlic, red shallots and spring onions with 1 tbsp oil. Set it aside to cool.
• Combine the fried aromatics with salt, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, pepper, fish sauce and the prawns in a food processor, then process the ingredients into a paste.
• Heat up the oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Shape the paste into balls 2cm (0.8") wide using spoons or hands and fry them for 5 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked.
• Bring the pot to a gentle boil and add the prawn balls into the broth.
• Add the frozen crab meat in.
• Cut up the crab and place them in the soup to cook for 15 minutes or until the flesh is cooked, then remove and set aside until eating time.
• To thicken the soup, mix the starch slurry in a bowl until it forms a runny liquid. Slowly pour it into the broth on a low heat while stirring the pot consistently.
• Bring another pot of water to a boil and add the banh canh in. These noodles are already cooked, so they will only need 3-5 minutes before they can be strained and set to drip dry.
• To assemble the dish, line the bottom of your bowl with tapioca noodles then top it with the pork hoc, fried prawn balls, crab and blood jelly. Pour hot soup over the ingredients and garnish with herbs and a squeeze of lime juice!