Mango Prawn Pancakes
By Ixta Belfrage
Published on 13 February 2024
These Mango Prawn Pancake from chef Ixta Belfrage are inspired by Bánh xèo, a Vietnamese-style crispy crepe often filled with prawns and crunchy veg. The interactive element of this dish makes it perfect for sharing; set up bowls with the prawns, salad, pickles and creme fraiche alongside a pile of warm pancakes and let everyone create their own. Feel free to swap the prawns for cooked chicken, fish or marinated tofu. Looking for more Ixta Belfrage recipes? Look no further.
Time and servings
45 minsTotal time
4Servings
30 minsPrep time
15 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 200g coconut milk (shake the tin very well before opening and measuring)
- 120g rice flour
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ tsp medium curry powder
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp fine sea salt, plus extra ⅓ tsp
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 red onion, halved then thinly sliced
- 1 hibiscus tea bag
- 1 scotch bonnet, with holes poked in it (optional)
- 3 tangerines, juiced
- 3 limes, juiced, plus 1 lime cut into wedges
- 200g ripe mango, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped Calabrian chillies (or another chilli paste/sauce)
- 2 tsp mild olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- 330g raw organic king prawns
- 10g coriander, leaves picked
- 30g salad onions, green ends thinly sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, halved and sliced
- 2 baby cucumbers, sliced at an angle
- 2 green chillies, thinly sliced into rounds
- 4 tbsp creme fraiche or soured cream
- 2 tbsp crispy chilli oil
Method
Step 1
To make the pancake batter; put 240ml water, the coconut milk, rice flour, cornflour, apple cider vinegar, curry powder, sesame oil, ½ tsp fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper into a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth then transfer to a jug and set aside to rest for 30 mins.Step 2
Next, make the hibiscus-pickled red onions. Put the sliced onion into a jar then sprinkle over the contents of 1 hibiscus tea bag and add the scotch bonnet. Squeeze over the juice of 2 limes, then the tangerines and the remaining ⅓ tsp fine sea salt. Secure the lid and shake well, making sure the onions are covered, then set aside to pickle.Step 3
To make the mango prawn filling, put the mango into a mixing bowl with the Calabrian chillies, remaining 2 tbsp lime juice (from one lime) and a good pinch of fine sea salt.Step 4
Set a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil and prawns and cook for about 2 mins, until just pink and cooked through. Tip into the bowl with the mango and mix well, set aside until ready to serve.Step 5
Heat the oven to 150°C/ 130°C fan/ gas 2. Heat a clean non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, use a heatproof brush to lightly grease the pan with oil (not too much as there’s plenty of fat in the batter already from the coconut milk).Step 6
Pour some of the batter into the pan and swirl to get a pancake about 8cm wide. Cook for 2 mins, or until the edges of the pancake are crisp and golden brown and the centre is set (don’t try to flip before this!). Very carefully flip the pancake over and cook for another 1 min on the other side.Step 7
Set the cooked pancakes aside on a flat baking tray lined with baking parchment, repeat until all are cooked then transfer the tray to the oven for a few mins to warm through.Step 8
Meanwhile, arrange the coriander, salad onion, avocado, cucumber and green chilli on a serving plate or platter.Step 9
Serve the pancakes with the platter of greens, hibiscus pickled red onions, mango prawns and creme fraiche, for everyone to build their own pancakes. I like to finish mine with an extra squeeze of lime and a drizzle of chilli oil.