Food: Banh Xeo

Banh Xeo or Vietnamese Crepes, by far is one of my favorite Vietnamese food to eat (besides pho). It is extremely fresh when wrapped around fresh herbs and lettuce. I can eat this dish for days...oh wait..I did eat it for four days.... The thought of this still makes me salivate. Did I mention all this for under 25$?..So cheeep.

The ingredients are so simple: pork belly, shrimp, white onions, and mung beans. I marinaded the pork belly the night before with garlic, dash of salt and pepper and nuoc mam (fish sauce). I cooked the pork until the fish sauce carmelized on the outside, and cut it into thin slices. The shrimp was also marinaded with the same ingredients and cooked beforehand, but was not thoroughly cooked to avoid overcooking when placed in the crepe.

Thankfully, my mom told me to avoid buying the pre-made banh xeo packages at the oriental markets since they tend to mix potato starch with the rice flour. This makes the crepes less crispy. Try making your own by buying pure rice flour and add a teaspoon of turmeric, coconut milk, and thinly sliced scallions! I didn't even need to add beer or baking powder to make this crispy. Unlike the pre-made mix, the crepes were thinner and crispier.

With the help of my two roommates, we prepared this entire meal under 1.5 hours. Go teamwork! Don't forget the classic newspapers for easy clean up.

Thai chili is the cherry on top.

Rain, rain, go away...

Ruh roh...on PCH to Quality Seafood and it's raining cats and dawgs.

Lucky us, twas beautiful by the time we got here. Thank you LA traffic?

 Fishing boats to catch all the fresh 'quality seafood'

"Hello ladies, you guys wanted two sea urchins?".."No sir, we would like four of em"

 Hey look its for sale!

 Look at the clams opening their mouth to lick the lemon juice.. :)

Hello Urchin, It was painful stepping on your close relative in Hawaii. To be honest, I think I was the only one salivating to see a whole bunch of your cousins at the CA Science Academy. Sorry for making you squirm after squirting lemon juice on you...You are so sweet. <3

 Hello Tua Tua clams, You are delicious raw.

After those silly fishermen got rid of your predators, the Sea Otters, from SoCal, your population exploded and nearly collapsed the Kelp forests! Yummy for me, but so sad for the entire ecosystem...oh and those silly fishermen who eventually lost their catch...

 Time for the authentic Hue Banh Beo. I've never had it served this way. The rice pads were like suction cups on the dish! So coooool...

 More lemon, shrimp paste, and chili please.

And this is the reason why I am still up at 5 AM writing this entry. Ended the night with the Crimson Peach iced tea at Tebo Tebo Tea Lounge...The pearls are cooked to perfection!