I had no idea the crepes were made with soaked and ground mung beans...I didn't even know what mung beans were but I figured I'd be able to find them in NYC. During my research into these Vietnamese crepes, I also read that some vietnamese cooks think it's sacrilegious to use canned coconut milk and insist on pressing their own coconuts for juice. I thought I could probably manage that too. My quest for mung beans wasn't easy. I found them in Flushing at a shop whose name I couldn't read but boasted fresh rice cakes made by hand on the hour, every hour. The hunt for coconuts was less fruitless. I guess it's not coconut season, or maybe I gotta seek out a black market for them because everyone I asked for coconuts looked offended. I took this as a sign it's not coconut season? I'm not sure- either way it's probably a blessing in disguise- just imagine me trying to ride my bike through Manhattan with a bunch of coconuts.
So, minus freshly pressed coconut juice, these are traditional Banh Xeo and Nuoc Cham recipes adapted and adjusted a little from Hot Sour Sweet Salty.
A day at the farm...
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