Vietnamese Pancakes

Method

Makes 12 pancakes, enough for 4 people

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Drizzle with oil and cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through and the skin is golden and crispy
2. Whilst the chicken thighs are cooking make the dipping sauce – the recipe can be found here
3. Prepare prawns by shelling and de-veining, rinse and pat dry the lettuce leaves and pick the leaves from the herbs and place in bowl
4. For the pancake batter: Pour the coconut milk into a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the flour, turmeric, water, salt and sugar and whisk until you have a smooth yellow batter
5. Finely chop the shallots and slice the roast chicken thighs
6. Heat 1 tsp oil a large non-stick frying pan (I use a large, flat-bottomed non-stick wok skillet pan). Add a sprinkling of the chopped shallot and a few raw prawns and fry until the shallot is golden and prawns have turned pink. Add a few slices of chicken
7. Using a ladle add batter to the pan to create a thin layer
8. Scatter some of the beansprouts into the pan over the batter, cook for a few minutes until the pancake is crispy on the bottom and set on the top
9. Repeat steps 6-8 until the batter is used up
10. Serve with the garnishes and sauce. This dish should be eaten by breaking off pieces of pancake and wrapping them in a lettuce leaf, along with some of the herbs and spring onion, ready to dip into the sauce. It is best to eat the pancakes straight away after they are cooked.