Crispy vietnamese veggie crepes with fresh herbs
You already know about banh mi, pho, and Vietnamese coffee, but the Vietnamese-style crepe, banh xeo, hasn't gotten quite as much attention as it should. Light and crispy and full of fresh, bright flavors, it could stand alone as a quick, light dinner -- or could be the opening act for a multi-course international dinner. It's the ideal hors d'oeuvre: interesting enough to wake up your palate, but light enough to keep you from feeling full. It's also great if your friends, like mine, have lots of different dietary restrictions: these crepes are vegan (if you swap soy sauce for fish sauce), gluten-free, corn-free, etc., etc. Everyone wins!
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<br />To serve them as an hors d'oeuvre, wrap them tightly and cut each one in half to be eaten as finger food. Alternatively, you could make mini crepes just 4 or 5 inches across, though that would take a defter hand than mine. I also recommend serving it in the traditional Vietnamese way: wrap each piece with a leaf of mustard greens, a frilly-leafed lettuce, or other attractive green big enough to cover the whole thing.
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