Vietnamese Coconut Pancakes

These Vietnamese Coconut Pancakes are such a feast for the senses! I mean, look at those colors! And they tasted flat out ah-mazing. @meerasodha, we who are about to eat, salute you! ✊

Loved the crispy pancake with coconut milk and turmeric and the salad was a flavorful, crunchy, spicy delight. I adapted the dipping sauce to make it #glutenfree and it tasted wonderful. But even though I was programmed enough to find an alternative to the sugar and soy sauce that the sauce recipe calls for, in my sleep-deprived state (kids AND dog were up in the night, with not even the tiniest bit of decency to coordinate times! 🤬), I completely forgot that rice is not allowed on Whole 30 and the pancakes are made with rice flour. So I voraciously devoured two of these babies before it hit me… 🤦🏻‍♀️

You’d think this was my first Whole 30 rodeo. 🐎 Ah well, at least the slip up was 💯 % worth it! xoxo Donata

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (220g) rice flour

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 medium egg

1 can (400ml) coconut milk

2 cups (200g) red cabbage (around ¼ cabbage), finely shredded

2 slim carrots (150g), julienned

5 spring onions, finely chopped

1 3/4 cups (40g) fresh mixed herbs (Thai basil, coriander and mint), leaves picked and roughly chopped

vegetable oil

Sauce (original recipe)

5 tbsp lime juice (from 3 limes)

3½ tsp sugar

1½ tbsp light soy sauce

1½ bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Sauce (adapted gluten free version)

5 tbsp lime juice (from 3 limes)

5 tbsp coconut aminos

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp grated ginger

1½ bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Rapeseed oil

Instructions

1. First, make the batter for the pancakes: put the rice flour, salt, turmeric and egg into a bowl and mix together. Add the coconut milk and 175ml (3/4 cup) of water, whisk until you have a smooth batter, then leave to one side.

2. Next, place the cabbage, carrots, spring onions and herbs into another bowl and mix with your hands. Make the sauce by putting the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, chillies and garlic into a jug or small bowl and mixing well. Pour two-thirds of this sauce over the veg and mix again using your hands. Pour the remaining third into a little serving bowl.

3. To make the pancakes, heat a teaspoon of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium flame and swirl it around the pan to coat. When the pan is very hot, pour in a ladleful of batter, swirling the pan quickly and carefully so that the batter reaches the edge. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and crisp on the bottom (test this by sliding a palette knife under the pancake; if it lifts away easily, it’s ready). Slide on to a plate and repeat with the rest of the batter, until you have 6 pancakes. Your first one may not be perfect, but don’t lose faith: you will quickly get the hang of it.

4. To serve, place a small handful of the salad in the middle of the pancake and roll up. Serve with the extra sauce on the side.

Copyright by Meera Sodha from the cookbook East, 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Beijing, published by Fig Tree, Penguin Books, 2019