Vietnamese Savory Mini Pancakes (Bánh Khọt)

• servings: 7 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 cup water

200 mL coconut milk

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

14 large shrimp (peeled and deveined)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

⅛ teaspoon (pinch) ground black pepper

2 green onions (thinly sliced)

¼ cup dried salted shrimp (optional)

Assorted greens (lettuce, perilla, sorrell, mint, etc)

Vegetable or shallot oil from making fried shallots

Vietnamese sweet chili dipping sauce

Directions

Whisk together all the batter ingredients. Set it aside to "bloom" for at least 20 minutes, but the longer, the better.

In a small bowl, marinate shrimp with salt and pepper. Set aside. If using dried salted shrimp, soak in hot water for 5 minutes, rinse, then drain dry. Dry toast in a frying pan until fragrant then finely chop in a food processor or by hand. Set aside.

Heat the banh khot or aebleskiver pan on medium-high. Add a little oil to each well. Fill with batter to the rim. It's also ok to overflow the well so it spills out. This creates additional crispy edges. Sprinkle green onions, and dried shrimp if using. Cover with a lid and cook for about 6-8 minutes on medium-low. Low and slow is key.

Remove the lid. Add shrimp and top each with more green onions. Drizzle more oil on top of the green onions (this makes "scallion oil") and around each rim to crisp up the edges. Cover and cook until shrimp is cooked through (about one minute). Remove the lid and cook for about 2 more minutes to your desired crispiness.

Use a sharp metal spoon to remove the banh khot. Scrape the outside edges first. It should detach easily and scoop out. Serve with your favorite leafy greens and sweet chili sauce.