From April according to the lunar calendar, the sea in the Central region enters the clear and windy season. That is also the time when batches of fresh, clear baby squid and baby squid follow fishermen to shore, along the fishing ports from Da Nang to Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa. On stormy afternoons, I miss the smell of my mother's squid pancakes on hot coals, the fragrant smell of golden rice flour sizzling with some fresh, crispy squid on top.
Golden, crispy squid pancakes
PHOTO: AN DY
Central Vietnamese pancakes are not as big as Western Vietnamese pancakes, but are small and pretty, about the size of a palm, enough to roll a piece of cake. But what makes this cake different is the crispy seasonal squid. The squid is selected in season, usually from April to August of the lunar calendar, when the squid is at its sweetest, softest, and white as colostrum. There is no need to marinate or prepare it elaborately, just rinse it with diluted salt water and drop it into the pan when the dough has just set, the squid is just cooked, giving off the sweet, salty aroma of the ocean.
A true squid pancake must have a thin, crispy golden crust, embracing a plump, dark purple piece of squid, with a bit of bean sprouts and green onions. The outside is crispy, the inside is chewy, sweet, fatty, and unmistakable. Take a bite and you will feel the taste of the sea on your tongue, the taste of the sun and wind, of the morning when fishermen go out to sea, of the red-hot charcoal stove in the middle of the fishing village.
A basket of fresh green vegetables with coriander, young mustard greens, basil, perilla, fish mint, green banana… all rolled together in a thin rice paper. Dip the hot roll into a bowl of diluted fish sauce with garlic and chili and enjoy.
The filling for banh xeo can be shrimp, pork, beef, mushrooms, fish... but every season in the Central region - the season of squid and milk squid - the squid banh xeo "reigns". It is not only a dish, but also a memory of the life of the people in the coastal fishing village in the afternoon waiting for their mother to return from the market in the thunderstorm...
SECRET TO MAKING DELICIOUS CRISPY SQUID PANCAKES
- Prioritize choosing fresh seasonal squid, milky squid, small squid, short body, soft, milky white belly, is the most ideal type for making banh xeo.
- The cake flour is a mixture of rice flour mixed with turmeric powder. Some places add a little cornstarch or crispy flour to increase the crispiness and aroma.
- Pouring it with a cast iron pan or a clay pan is the best. And especially, banh xeo should be poured over a red fire (can be charcoal or gas), because the heat from an induction cooker and infrared cooker makes it difficult to pour banh xeo. The cake must be poured thinly, quickly, and the pan must be swirled firmly so that the cake crust is thin and crispy and does not burn.
- The filling should be moderate, small cakes with only about 2-3 squids, some bean sprouts, and a few spring onions. Too much filling will make the cake less crispy.
- The dipping sauce should be fish sauce, garlic, chili and a little diluted lemon, which can satisfy a rich taste.
- Banh xeo is best eaten right after it is taken out of the pan. It is still hot and crispy, wrapped in raw vegetables, dipped in fish sauce, and eaten with your hands - the true Central style, rustic, simple but delicious.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/banh-xeo-muc-can-mot-mieng-nghe-vi-bien-thom-nong-185250602182840521.htm
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